Macomb County leaders today joined with Richmond Township and other elected officials for a signing ceremony that will create a 40-acre conservation easement on local farmland. The land, currently owned and farmed for corn, soybeans, cattle and other grains by Ken and Nancy Kulman, will now be permanently designated for agricultural use or green space.
“I’ve been involved in farming for over 68 of my 74 years on earth,” Ken said. “The land is part of the original 260 acres that my grandfather, John Kulman, purchased in the 1930s. My father, Robert Kulman, took over the land years later where it was then split for myself and my brother Vern. Now, my 40 acres of preserved land will be alongside my brother’s 119 acres that were preserved in 2022.”
The farm’s conservation easement is made possible through a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) agreement coordinated by the Macomb County Agricultural Purchase of Development Rights Committee and funded through a Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Agricultural Preservation Grant. The process gives a landowner the option to permanently preserve his or her farmland while also receiving fair market value for development rights. An easement is then placed on the property designating it for agricultural use in perpetuity.
“We’re preserving the land that was passed on to us from our father, who received it from his father, for the next young farmer to take over,” Ken said.
Macomb County’s Agricultural Purchase of Development Rights Committee has helped preserve hundreds of acres of farmland through the PDR agreement process. In doing so, the committee is achieving what it set out to do when it was formed.
“Macomb County is committed to protecting our agricultural assets because it’s a significant part of our identify and culture," said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. "We’ve got more than 400 working farms and we rank nationally when it comes to production of crops. So when we preserve this land, we’re not only supporting our farming community, we’re strengthening our economy and ensuring agriculture has a place in Macomb for years to come.”
Outside of preserving heritage and protecting the County’s agricultural industry, the PDR program is helping farmers by directly giving them the funds they would receive if they sold their land to a developer.
Macomb County farmers interested in the PDR program can contact a clerk's office in any of the participating communities for information and program applications. Participating communities include Bruce Township, Armada Township, Richmond Township, Washington Township, Ray Township and Lenox Township.
Jeff Schroeder
jeff.schroeder@macombgov.org
586-469-5064
