LAUREL, Del.- The Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation's 29th round of easement selections were announced by the Delaware Department of Agriculture Friday, preserving 36 properties with more than 2,800 acres at a cost of $14.9 million.
The 2025 easements include properties in all the three Delaware counties. County governments contributed toward the preservation costs of selected easements with the following breakdown:
- Sussex County: $1,917,156 for eight easements
- New Castle County: $225,769 for one easement
- Kent County: $100,000 for seven easements
An easement is a legal agreement that permanently protects farmland from being developed. The state buys the development rights from the landowner, allowing farmers to keep working their land while ensuring it remains agricultural.
Delaware farmers interested in preserving their farms should meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Property must be zoned for agriculture and not subject to any major subdivision plan.
- The property meets the minimum Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) score of 170. LESA is a process that attempts to estimate the farm’s long-term viability based on the farm’s soil productivity, land use, and agriculture infrastructure on and around the farm. Scores range from 0-300. Aglands program staff calculate the LESA score when applications are received.
- The property must be working farmland with at least $1,000 in agricultural sales annually and generally have at least 10 acres of cropland.
- Farms of 200 acres or more constitute an agricultural district.
- Farms under 200 acres can enter the program if it is within 3 miles of an existing agricultural district.
The announcement was hosted at the Oliphant Farm which has more than 100 acres and has produced corn and soybeans for more than five generations.
The Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation was passed and signed into law in 1991 by Gov. Michael N. Castle. The first easement selections however, were made in 1996. The foundation oversees the preservation program with staffing support from Department of Agriculture employees.
The Foundation does not own the land but purchases the owners development rights and places a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the property. To be eligible for permanent preservation, landowners should first voluntarily enroll their farm into a 10-year preservation district a year in advance.
"The program has been cited as the best in the nation at preserving and protecting farmland for future generations to use and enjoy," said Agriculture Secretary Don Clifton.
Friday’s event also corresponded with National Farmers Day, which is celebrated on Oct. 12.