Farmland Preservation Programs And The Importance Of Rural Amenities

2003 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia J. Nickerson ◽  
Daniel Hellerstein

We investigate what farmland preservation programs reveal about the importance of protecting different rural amenities. An extensive content analysis of the enabling legislation of various farmland protection programs suggests wide variation exists in the protection of amenities. An analysis of 27 individual Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs’ selection criteria suggests these programs favor preserving amenities that are jointly provided by cropland and livestock operations. These PDR selection criteria also reveal unique preferences regarding the spatial patterns of preserved agricultural lands. Variation in relative weights given to protecting most parcel characteristics in PDR programs is not easily explained by factors that characterize areas experiencing farmland losses.


1993 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis Wichelns ◽  
Jeffrey D. Kline

This paper examines the economic impact of selected farmland characteristics on the appraised value of development rights. Price elasticities are estimated for the size and location of farmland parcels, the amount of road frontage, the existence of panoramic views, and the distance to urban centers. Estimated elasticities suggest that parcel characteristics have a substantial impact on the cost of preserving farmland. For example, the per-acre cost of development rights is estimated to be 53 percent higher on farmland parcels that have a panoramic view of water than on parcels that have no water view. Similarly, the per-acre cost of development rights on a typical 25-acre farm is estimated to be 90 percent higher than on a typical 150-acre farm. Results suggest that the net social benefits obtained through farmland preservation programs may be enhanced by considering the impact of farmland characteristics on the marginal costs of purchasing development rights, when selecting among a set of candidate farms.


1975 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 390-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Bryant ◽  
Howard E. Conklin

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