Why This Report? This financial statement audit was performed in accordance with 29 Del. C. § 2906and 3 Del C. §§ 904(a)(8) and 904(a)(9).The Department of Agriculture manages Delaware’s Agricultural Lands (Aglands) Preservation Program.This program, established in 1991, allows landowners to voluntarily preserve their farms through a twophaseprocess. There are 490,000 acres of farms, which comprise 39% of the land area in Delaware.Delaware’s farmland preservation program has two major components: Agricultural PreservationDistricts and Agricultural Conservation Easements.Preservation Districts are voluntary agreements where landowners agree to continue to only use their landonly for agriculture for at least 10 years. Agricultural easements are purchases of development rights bythe foundation, placing a permanent agricultural conservation easement on the property. Landownersmust enroll their farm into a Preservation District before they can sell an easement.In FY21, the Aglands program received $5 million from the state Bond Bill and $48,621 from the state’soperating budget.What Was Found? It is my pleasure to report this audit contained an unmodified opinion.1The audited financial statements of Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Foundation for FiscalYears 2020 and 2021 can be found on our website auditor.delaware.gov.
Dover, DE
United States
