Tag Archives: development pressure

Georgia Farmland Conservation Program Gives Farming Families a Way to Protect Land Forever

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Hawkinsville, GA |

Since 1985, Georgia has lost at least one and a half million acres of working and wild lands to development — and that pressure isn’t slowing down. For farming families who have worked the same ground for generations, the threat of losing that land for good is very real. According to Katherine Moore, President of the Georgia Conservancy, the stakes for Georgia’s agricultural economy couldn’t be higher.

“The predominant landscape in our state is, in fact, working lands. We have over twenty-two million acres in forestry and about ten million acres in working farms — that is by far the bulk of our state’s land,” Moore said. “Our working lands are the factory floor. If we do not have these acres protected and operated by good stewards, then we’re not going to have the products and the jobs that those working lands produce.”

A FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND PROGRAM FOR GEORGIA

In 2023, the Georgia General Assembly responded with the Georgia Farmland Conservation Program — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the state dedicated solely to keeping farmland in farming. At the heart of the program is a legal tool called a conservation easement, and for landowners thinking about how to protect their property long-term, Moore says it’s one of the most powerful options available.

“A conservation easement is a simple legal agreement that allows the property owner to continue to see their land in their ownership, their enjoyment and use — be it simple recreation or as a working landscape — but they are giving up some of the development rights,” Moore explained. “Those rights are given up in perpetuity. The conservation easement is attached to the deed, and the property owner has the comfort of knowing the land is always protected from certain types of development.”

PERMANENCE IS THE POINT

In perpetuity — a phrase that carries significant weight for farming families. Moore says that permanence is exactly the point. Georgia has lost too much ground to development that can never be undone, and the program gives conservation-minded landowners a way to make that commitment binding — not just for themselves, but for every generation that follows.

“A conservation easement gives a lot of property owners who are focused on the legacy of the land — on protecting it from future development pressures — that peace of mind to know that the acres they have cared for, some of them for generations before them, have a future as a working or natural land versus being under threat of development,” Moore said.

A LEGACY CHOICE WITH A FINANCIAL REWARD

The program doesn’t just ask landowners to give something up — it rewards them for it. Participating landowners can receive a one-time payment for the development rights they permanently surrender, making the decision both a legacy choice and a meaningful financial one.

“The landowner walks away at the end of a transaction like this with the comfort that they have protected their land forever, to continue in the use that they have enjoyed and prospered from as a family — and also they have been provided with financial compensation for the value of the rights they have given up,” Moore said.

For Georgia farming families looking to protect their land for future generations, the Georgia Farmland Conservation Program offers a path forward. More information is available at the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s website.

By: John Holcomb

Madison County’s Russ Moon Says His Farm Isn’t for Sale — and Neither Is His Family’s Legacy

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Colbert, GA |

Where Moon Farms Country Market now stands in Madison County, Russ Moon’s great-grandmother once had her home. The road took it out in 1997, but the land itself has never left the family. As the fourth generation to farm this ground, Moon carries that history with him every day — and he’s fighting to make sure it doesn’t end with him.

“When you’re a farmer, agriculture is just in you. I want to see it thrive. I want to see the next generation come on and pass it on to them,” Moon said. “So much of what we do is looking forward to the next generation — and that’s so important to me, that I pass it on to my kids and hopefully they’re going to do it too.”

A STATE THAT’S CHANGING FAST

Over the course of his farming life, Moon has watched Georgia transform around him — and the pressure that comes with that growth is impossible to ignore.

“It’s the amount of people. The amount of people moving into this state, this area — it’s definitely growing. The traffic on the roads, the amount of people looking for houses — that’s what’s driving the development,” Moon said. “I know it’s coming, but the amount of people in this state has really grown over the last ten years.”

That growth has introduced new concerns beyond housing and development. Among the newest: the rise of massive data centers consuming enormous amounts of power and water in rural parts of the state.

“What’s the quality of water they’re producing? None of us really know the impact of the data centers,” Moon said. “In one sense, we all need them — but nobody wants one right here next to them. And that’s kind of where we’re at.”

ONCE IT’S PAVED, IT DOESN’T COME BACK

Georgia has long been known as the number one state in which to do business — but for farmers, that growth comes with difficult questions. Every year, productive farmland disappears, replaced by neighborhoods, warehouses, and data centers. And once that land is paved over, it rarely comes back.

When asked why he doesn’t simply sell — take the money and walk away — Moon’s answer was immediate.

“My life’s not for sale. This is my passion. It was my grandparents’ passion, my father’s passion, and hopefully my kids’ passion. That’s not for sale right now — and I hope it’s never for sale,” he said.

BEHIND THE EIGHT BALL ON CONSERVATION

Moon is a vocal supporter of the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund, a program he believes is essential — but one he worries may already be falling behind the pace of development.

“We can have growth as we preserve as much farmland as we can — I think we’ve got to have both. You can’t stop growth, I get it, but we’ve got to preserve what we can when it comes to farmland,” Moon said. “We’re kind of behind the eight ball on that. We’re several years behind where we need to be because the growth is outpacing this program that we just started. I feel like we’re a few years behind, and hopefully we’re going to catch up.”

BORROWED FROM THE NEXT GENERATION

For Moon, the weight of what came before him and what comes after is never far from his mind. He thinks about his father and grandfather, the sacrifices they made, and the obligation he now carries.

“I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing right now without my father and my grandfather — and we’ve got to remember that and hopefully pass it on a lot better than we received it,” Moon said. “We are borrowing it from the next generation. Land prices are kind of outrunning what we can afford to buy now, so we just have to try to pay for what we’ve already purchased and maybe do things with fewer acres.”

As for what he hopes future grandchildren will see when they look out over this land one day, Moon’s answer speaks to something deeper than crop yields or commodity prices.

“I hope agriculture is just engraved in them, just like it is in me — that desire. Because it’s not easy,” Moon said. “It goes back to passion. It takes passion to get up every day and fight through the droughts and the low prices and the adversity that hits us — and it hits us quite often. It’s not just row crop farmers. It’s chicken farmers, cattle farmers. It’s all of us.”

By: Ray D’Alessio