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In Arizona the landscape is changing rapidly. In Southern Arizona growth is splintering working ranchland and farms into smaller and smaller pieces.
Cochise County lost 27% of its farmland in the five years between 1997 and 2002. We are losing our ability to grow crops and protect our water quality, and even the economic fabric of our rural towns. The fallout from growth pressure demands our attention now.
In 2006, Arizona Land and Water Trust established the Family Ranchland Protection Fund to assist ranchers and farmers who want to stay on their land and sustain our traditional rural economies and communities.
The Family Ranchland Protection Fund provides services to those landowners who wish to protect their farms and ranches. Utilizing a diverse team of qualified professionals, the Fund allows the Trust to provide tools families can use to make informed decisions.
The Family Ranchland Protection Fund is used to:
- Work with landowners to address their needs and desires.
- Establish the value of the property.
- Assess the impacts of potential sale on estate and tax planning.
- Procure title reports, environmental reviews and other assessments.
- Develop agreements, such as a purchase of development rights.
- Secure funding for permanent protection through acquisition.