Farmland Protection | Food Systems

This functional plan addresses farmland protection and starts by offering an overview of the county’s agricultural land base and farming industry and exploring the local land use planning context. It describes the county’s farmland preservation efforts, which includes a transfer of development rights (TDR) program; and notes the protection of 100,000 acres of farmland and open space in the county, with 8,600 acres of farmland (21 percent of the county’s farmed land) permanently dedicated to agricultural use. The plan sets additional 1, 5, and 10-year acreage goals for farmland protection.