Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Application is Open
The 2023 Purchase of Development Rights program is open from Tuesday, November 1, 2022 until Tuesday, January 31, 2023. Through this program, Kent County purchases the right to develop a farm from volunteer farmers to keep the land for farming. If you or someone you know owns agricultural land and wants to see it preserved as farmland forever then selling or donating the development rights may be the right course of action. No landowner will ever be forced to sell their land and the purchase price or donation value will come from an appraisal of the land.
Staff will host two townhalls for prospective applicants to ask questions
Thursday, November 10 @ 12pm
Englehardt (Lowell) Library
200 N. Monroe St., Lowell, MI 49331
Friday, December 2 @ 10am
Sparta Township Library
80 N. Union St., Sparta, MI 49345
Contact Kent County PDR program staff Matt Channing by email or phone (616) 632-7593 for more information.
Kent County Protects 67 Acres of Farmland in Grattan Township
On October 17, Kent County purchased a conservation easement for 67 acres of farmland in Grattan Township. This permanent easement guarantees that the property will remain farmland in perpetuity. The purchase for the farm’s development rights was made possible by donations from Grattan Township, the Wege Foundation, the USDA, and the landowners, Scott and Melissa Sieracki.
In 2018, the Sieracki Application ranked 1 out of 11 applications for the east part of Kent County, the Parnell Corridor. Now, as the 28th property preserved in Kent County since the Purchase of Development Rights program was authorized in 2002, the program has preserved approximately 2800 acres. Farmland in Grattan accounts for 800 acres, or just about a quarter of all preserved farmland in the county. The Agricultural Preservation Board selected this farm because of its abundance of prime and unique soils, allowing for a broad diversity of agricultural production and its proximity to other protected parcels.
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Hunter Access Program has Multiple Benefits
Did you know that you can receive a cash payout for allowing hunters to hunt for deer on your farmland? While the benefits of removing deer from crops are well known there is another benefit for the Kent County Purchase of Development Rights Program. The application awards extra points for landowners enrolled in public access programs including the DNR Hunter Access Program. Michigan Farm Bureau published a great article about the benefits for farmers. Read the article on the Farm Bureau website.
Feeding America West Michigan Wants to Help You Prevent Food Waste
 Feeding America recently visited Heffron Farms to glean pickling cucumbers and Riveridge Apple Orchard to glean apples. With Heffron Farms, they were able to collect about 5,000 pounds of cucumbers and with Riveridge they gleaned 17,627 pounds of apples!
By offering surplus food to Feeding America West Michigan instead of letting it go to waste, producers can support those in need and derive financial benefits for their company. The opportunity for growers to connect the food bank with their surplus food is called gleaning, which is when food bank staff and volunteers go directly to fields to harvest crops that would otherwise not be utilized
If you are interested in working with Feeding America West Michigan for gleaning, please reach out to Sheila Williams at SheilaW@FeedWM.org. For more information on how you can donate surplus food to the food bank, please visit FeedWM.org/donors.
Kent County Broadband Survey
Kent County is asking residents and businesses to take a 15-question survey about
internet service at their households and locations. The survey asks whether high-speed ("broadband") internet service is available at a given address, and if so, at what speed and cost.
Over the past two years, the need for high-speed internet has become more evident, with residents teleworking, students attending school online, and patients meeting doctors virtually. We understand that many of you experience frustration over internet connectivity and, in some areas, high-speed Internet is unreliable or not available.
Visit Michigan Moonshot to complete the brief survey and to learn more about this project. Paper surveys are available upon request in in English and Spanish by calling (616) 632-6512.
Spotlight on Rural Living
There are two events coming to Sparta Township this season:
Visit Sparta Township for the Sparta Lions Annual Christmas LIGHTED Parade Salute to all First Responders, Military and Healthcare Workers Friday, November 18, 2022 @ 6 pm in downtown Sparta!
11th Annual Turkey Trot 5k Walk/Run in Sparta on Thanksgiving morning: November 24, 2022 at 9 am! $25 to enter!
Institute of Agricultural Technology (IAT): Information Session for Prospective Students Webinar
November 9, 2022 06:00 PM
Location: Zoom
Cost: Free
Attendees will receive an overview of IAT academic programs and enrollment locations around the state. Information about the student experience, enrollment process, cost, financial aid, and next steps will be shared. The program will last about 45 minutes and attendees will be able to ask questions.
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Great Lakes Expo
Tuesday, December 6-8, 2022
Location: DeVos Place Convention Center and the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Cost: Early bird ends 11/14
Come visit the country's premier show for fruit and vegetable growers, greenhouse growers and farm marketers. The expo features presentations from trade shows, and topics for agritourism, farm markets, green houses, fruits, vegetables, and more.
Integrated Crop and Pest Management Update 2022
Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET.
Location: MSU Livestock Pavilion, 4301 Farm Ln, Lansing, MI 48910
Cost: $35-$80
The audience will include farmers, agribusiness representatives, retail sales and service professionals, and private crop consultants. The program is offered in a timely fashion so that businesses and farmers can make their year-end bulk purchasing decisions based on demand and availability.
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