Easement to protect old farm in Cache
But now the property on which Zollinger Apple Cider has been pressed and blended for 100 years is at risk of being consumed by the fast-growing community in Utah's northeast corner.
Ron Zollinger, the third-generation owner and manager of the farm, is trying to honor one of his father's last requests — to have the family's 48 acres of land remain in agricultural use.
"He didn't want to see it covered over with houses and buildings," Zollinger said.
The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation nonprofit organization, and the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food are working with the Zollinger family and the community to preserve Zollinger Farm.
A conservation easement on the farm will protect about 46 acres of Zollinger farmland, which will encourage long-term sustainability of agriculture, provide open space and protect wildlife habitat.
Several partners have come on board to pay for the easement, but Shauna Kerr, who is in charge of Utah projects for TPL, says they need an additional $50,000 by Dec. 31 to protect the property.
Ron Zollinger agrees. He grew up here on the Cache Valley bench. As a boy, the closest house was a mile away. "I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere," he said.
But today the family property exists as an island in the middle of the city — it is now surrounded by subdivision housing.
"There is increased pressure and development going on in Cache County," said Jon Hardman, district conservationist for the Cache County Natural Resource Conservation Service. "Lots of time that pressure is directed to these prime farmland acres."
Indeed, the Trust for Public Land estimates development eats up more than 600 acres of Cache County farmland a year. And with lots on the boundary of the Zollinger property selling for as much as $60,000, many nearby farmers have been willing to sell their land for profit.
Herein lies the problem faced by small-farm owners who live in areas where property values have soared, Zollinger said.
"There aren't really very many solutions small farms can take now to make sure the land gets passed from one generation to the next and still satisfy inheritance needs."
A conservation easement is one solution, Zollinger said. Under this kind of agreement, the property owner gets two appraisals on the land: one at market or development value and another to determine the property's worth for agricultural purposes. The value of the easement is the difference between the two.
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