Farmland Protection | Food Systems

The county's codified ordinances address farmland protection through establishing an agricultural conservation easement and farmland protection program as well as agricultural district protections in its zoning code.

Within the county’s planning code, the Agricultural Conservation Easement and Farmland Protection Program (§62-51 et seq.) establishes the Boone County Agricultural Conservation Easement and Farmland Protection Commission to oversee the county’s agricultural conservation easement and farmland protection program. The commission may expend funds to purchase conservation easements or provide funds to a nonprofit organization for the acquisition of conservation easements, as well as accept voluntary conservation easement conveyances and contributions for acquiring conservation easements. 

Within the zoning code, the county establishes the Agricultural Preservation Area District (§3.2) to protect farmland and valuable agricultural soils; residential subdivisions requiring county board approval are not permitted within this district. The code also establishes the Agricultural Residence District (§3.3), which permits individual nonfarm single-family residences in areas that are unsuitable for farming; the code provides a list of conditions to determine eligibility of property for nonfarm single-family residence development.

The zoning code also establishes a “dwelling unit linked to agricultural conservation easement” special use (§4.14). This special use allows an additional dwelling unit to be permitted with a minimum of 60 acres placed in an agricultural conservation easement; 25 such petitions may be accepted annually. The code offers additional information on organizations with which an easement may be entered and requirements for the easement.

The county’s website includes a webpage describing the purpose of the Boone County Agricultural Conservation Easement & Farmland Protection Commission.