Giving up the possibility of development on your land represents quite a
commitment. It can mean millions of dollars when you look down through
the decades and generations.
However, a growing number of families are fighting sprawl by placing
their farms in land trusts. These voluntary agreements protect land from
development while allowing families to keep farming. In many cases,
these people sacrifice the million-dollar payoffs to preserve a small
slice of rural landscape.
Here are the stories of three Tennessee families that have preserved
their farms forever.
When 86-year-old Elizabeth Crunk of Bethesda, Tenn., read about The Land
Trust for Tennessee in her local newspaper, she knew immediately that
her 230-acre farm belonged in the program. As Mrs. Crunk's father saw
Nashville's urban sprawl creep toward his Middle Tennessee farm, he told
his daughter that he never wanted his land divided up into little
squares. Following his wishes, this spunky lady has carried on the
family tradition for more than 50 years and still raises beef cows and
sheep. By placing the development rights into a permanent conservation
easement, Mrs. Crunk is using the land trust as a vehicle to pass her
family legacy to niece Bettye Cason's family. Mrs. Crunk received no
payment for the development rights. In fact, she paid thousands of
dollars for transaction costs.
"I love this land and I've been caring for this farm my way for a long
time. I wanted to do the right thing for it and I knew exactly what I
wanted to have The Land Trust do for me," Mrs. Crunk says.
Kermit Holland's love of farming runs five generations deep. Each
morning the 91-year-old farmer watches his cattle peacefully graze green
pastures. In the evening, he enjoys seeing drivers pull over to watch
whitetail deer feeding in his fields.
Holland has passed a passion for this land on to his children and
grandchildren. Ten Holland family members now live on the farm. In 2004,
the family took a vote and decided unanimously to place the farm into
The Land Trust for Tennessee. "Every time Kermit and I go to a city, it
bothers us to see so much prime farmland lost to roads and shopping
centers," says Kermit's wife, Nancy.
By donating the development rights as a conservation easement, the
Hollands are making sure their 200 acres will always be a farm. The land
is already an oasis of green in the growing town of McKenzie, Tenn.
Donating the conservation easement will do what the Hollands
want� �� ��protect the farm from development. It also limits the family's
future use of the land. They helped write these restrictions and
understand that an easement is permanently attached to the deed.
For example, no more houses can be built on the farm. Kermit's son and
daughter, Jack and Jill, already have homes on the land. If young
Hollands want to live on the property, they must move into existing
houses.
To donate their conservation easement, the Hollands paid $9,900 in legal
and appraisal fees. They say it will take six years to recoup their
investment through tax savings.
Taxes were one of the family's major concerns in donating a conservation
easement. The original Holland farm was 600 acres in 1829. But over the
years parts of the farm were sold off to pay taxes. Removing the
development rights should decrease the tax burden when the farm is
transferred again.
"We know these development rights are worth millions, but we don't look
at it as a sacrifice. We're doing this for future generations," Jill
says.
Susan and Steve Fisher are in their 40s with two kids in college. The
Williamson County couple recently placed their 264-acre farm into The
Land Trust for Tennessee.
"We were afraid our kids wouldn't be able to afford to keep it," Susan
says. The farm has been in her family since 1848.
They set up the agreement so each of their kids can have 5 acres to
build a home. Although they've donated the development rights, the
Fishers believe the farm's value will grow in the long run. The Fisher
farm adjoins Mrs. Crunk's property, making a 400-acre block that will
never be developed.
"The land may be worth less in the short-term, but we think it will be
worth more in the future because there won't be many farms left in this
area," Susan says.
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| Elizabeth Crunk's father asked her to never cut up his farm. | The Holland Family (Jill, Kermit, Jack, and Nancy) saved the fifth generation farm. |
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| Farms are growing scarce in Steve Fisher's area. | The Hollands hold family meetings in this restored log cabin. |