Genesee County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan
Known as stewardship, the process of holding and maintaining easements is an important
consideration to any PDR program or project. Good stewardship will help ensure the perpetual
nature of the easement. The municipality or organization holding the easement should set up a
system for administering, monitoring and enforcing the easement terms. That involves creating
baseline documentation, maintaining a good working relationship with the landowner,
monitoring the property, and, if needed, addressing violations. In recognition of this permanent
obligation and responsibility, project costs in the New York State Agricultural and Farmland
Protection Program can include funding for stewardship expenses as part of the initial transaction
for which state assistance payments are sought.
Portions of the PDR section were excerpted from the American Farmland Trust publication
entitled “Action Guide: Agricultural and Farmland Protection for New York” 1999. Please see
original publication for greater detail.
Columbia, MD
29