Nearly 1,000 acres of working farmland in Polk County, Florida, will be permanently protected from development through the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, working with Polk County. The conservation easements bar urban development while allowing farming and ranching to continue.

The larger property is a ranch of about 916 acres, nearly half of it native Florida habitat of pine forest, creeks and waterways; the rest supports farming and is being prepared for crops such as strawberries and watermelon. The second, about 75 acres, is mainly cattle pasture with wetland links that support wildlife. Both lie within the Florida Wildlife Corridor and follow agricultural best management practices.

"I want to recognize the team from the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program for their partnership to protect water, wildlife, wilderness and working landscapes in Polk County," said Tabitha Biehl, director of Polk County Parks and Natural Resources. County Manager Bill Beasley said the county remains committed to preserving its agricultural roots.

Easements of this kind let landowners keep their property in agriculture as development pressure grows, while protecting habitat and water quality.

Photo: Truth Falcon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Source: Farms.com