County protects its 9th ag property

Agriculture

Mar 24

Photo credit Andrew Roszkowski/Ottawa County

On March 14, Lyle and Donna Veldheer's 36-acre farm in Olive Township became the ninth property protected through Ottawa County's Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program. The agreement guarantees the Veldheers' land will continue to be used for agricultural purposes in perpetuity.

Over the years, the Veldheers raised a variety of crops, acquired more property and expanded their operation to the 36 acres it is today. Much has changed since 1970; what hasn't is the Veldheers dedication to agriculture.

"We love the land. We really felt like we never wanted to see this developed," said Donna. "We wanted to have young people have their opportunity to farm."

The Veldheer property is the second Olive Township farm to be preserved via the PDR program. The other, Shady Side Farm, is across the street and is run by Lona and Mike Bronkema, the Veldheers' daughter and son-in-law.

"It's really ideal for the PDR program and the County's larger mission of farmland preservation to have contiguous or adjacent properties protected," said Becky Huttenga, Agriculture & Economic Resources Coordinator, Ottawa County. "Having larger corridors of ag land is more conducive to successful farming and can actually encourage more operations."

Now through April 25, 2025, farmers and other landowners may apply to preserve their eligible agriculturally zoned property by selling the development rights. Landowners protect their property from development by creating a permanent agricultural conservation easement, which guarantees it can only be used for agriculture purposes. Landowners are compensated for lost development potential yet still own the land and retain all rights associated with it.

No county money is used to pay landowners for their development rights. The PDR program is completely funded through private donations, state and federal grants, and landowner contributions. Funds from The Natural Resource Conservation Service grant made protecting the Veldheer property possible.

"Grant funding and donations are integral to the continued success of the PDR program," said Julie Lamer, Farmland Preservation Analyst, Ottawa County.

Learn more and complete a pre-application by visiting miottawa.org/farmland.