Washington County preserves 111-acre farm in Clear Spring

With funding from Washington County and the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation, the Washington County Division of Planning and Zoning preserved a 111.35-acre farm on April 5, adding to the more than 40,000 acres of permanently preserved land in the county.

The easement was procured through a Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program easement that was sold by Barbara Hockenberry on her crop and equestrian farm on National Pike in Clear Spring. The property is spread out along the north side of National Pike east of Clear Spring.

The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program accounts for more than 15,000 acres and more than 38% of the permanent easements in the county. It is funded and administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation and locally by the Land Preservation Office of the Washington County Department of Planning and Zoning.

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Each year, farm owners in the county can apply for this program, which concentrates on preserving productive agricultural land.

The Hockenberry easement was part of the fiscal year 2023 cycle and was the second property of that cycle to settle an easement.

Easement applications are submitted before July 1 of each year and offers are usually extended the following March.

The Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Program is just one of the programs that make up the Washington County Land Preservation strategy.

For more information regarding the land preservation programs in Washington County, contact Rural Preservation Administrator Chris Boggs by calling 240-313-2447 or by sending an email to cboggs@washco-md.net.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County preserves 111-acre farm in Clear Spring