With more than 25% of Metro Atlanta farmland lost to development over the past decade (whoa!), Metro Atlanta is now facing a unique and time-sensitive opportunity to lead a food systems transformation and become a model for other metro regions to emulate.

Just imagine a “farmbelt” around the Atlanta, securing the land needed to grow a nutritious and safe food supply.  Here in Morgan County, with our intact farmland and long-standing farm businesses and families, we are poised to be on the forefront of this effort.

Meet the Working Farms Fund!  Keeping working lands in working hands.

The Working Farms Fund is a sustainable investment initiative to acquire and permanently protect farmland, transitioning ownership to next generation farmers and the new farm businesses that will scale our local food system.

Here’s how it works.  The Conservation Fund will:

• Acquire small to mid-size farmland facing threat of conversion
• Create a pathway to land access for our farmers through lease-to-own contracts
• Coordinate supporting services for our farmers with local partners and government agencies
• Sell conservation easements for permanent protection of land
• Sell underlying fee to farmer at agricultural use value
• Roll proceeds into new acquisition

The Madison-Morgan Conservancy is partnering with the Conservation Fund to connect farmers with the land and tools they need to succeed.

So, are you or someone you know transitioning out of farming?  Would you like to expand your farming business?  If so, we want to talk to you about how the Working Farms Fund might be able to help you and your family as well as the farming community in general.  Please contact us for more details and to be added to the Working Farms Fund database.