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| Why a Landowner might consider an Agricultural Easement
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The principal reason why most landowners consider placing an easement on their property is because they want to see their land remain in agriculture. Some landowners are proud of a multi-generation family legacy of farming on this site. Others may be the first to farm this land, but are no less committed to seeing it stay in farming.
Another reason why landowners may want to preserve their own properties is because they realize how doing so will support farming in Maine more broadly. One of the greatest challenges facing the future of farming in Maine is the availability of affordable farmland. By permanently preserving farmland through an easement, landowners ensure that their properties will be forever available to future generations at its value as farmland (as opposed to developable land). Increasingly, landowners who place easements on their property are seeing how their actions contribute to ensuring the future of farming in Maine.
Some landowners consider preserving their land prior to selling it. They may feel better about selling it if they know the land can’t be developed in the future. It’s also fairly common for some farmland owners to carve out a lot for themselves before preserving and selling their farm. In this case, placing an easement on the remaining property protects them from being surrounded by new development. It also increases the value of the lot they retain.
Beyond this, there are several financial benefits to placing an agricultural easement on your property. The benefits differ dependent on whether it is a donated easement or a purchased easement. Details are provided in the relevant sections.
Return to Agricultural Easements
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