Northfield Township Land Preservation Committee

06/17/2026

Neat way to preserve land!

The June 23 fundraiser runs from 5 to 8 p.m., with proceeds going to the Purchase of Development Rights Program that helps local farmers protect agricultural land permanently.

05/26/2026

Most people think “agriculture” means corn or soybeans — but Ann Arbor’s Feral Flora is showing that protected farmland can grow something very different: native plants.

Owner Matt Demmon (pictured) recently bought land on Nollar Rd. because the Ann Arbor Greenbelt had already purchased and retired the development rights, making the land affordable for real agricultural use instead of development. That protection opened the door for a small, conservation‑minded business to take root.

Demmon plans to grow native plants for seed, restore the wooded edges, and remove invasive shrubs to boost wildlife habitat. Native plants support birds and pollinators far better than typical ornamentals, and the long‑term goal is to leave the land healthier for future food production.

Programs like the Northfield Township Land Preservation Committee — and the new Bluebelt, launched in 2024 to protect drinking water and watersheds — help keep land in farming and conservation instead of development. And this project is a perfect example of what becomes possible when farmland stays farmland.

05/06/2026

Check this out! Northfield Townships Historical Society has done a lot of work and it’s been rewarded by the State of Michigan!

Some of these historical properties discussed have joined many others in the sale of development rights to ensure they remain undeveloped and historically significant forever!

03/24/2026

Owners of farmland permanently protected with a perpetual conservation easement (CE) now have explicit statutory access to State of Michigan tax credits by virtue of a set of six bills recently signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Previously, when a landowner was conveying a CE and had a State Farmland Development Rights Agreement (FDRA) that limited non-agricultural use for a fixed number of years, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) provided a consent agreement to the CE so the tax credits could be claimed. Several years ago MDARD unilaterally decided CEs and FDRAs were no longer compatible and stopped paying the credits without notice to the landowners. In some cases the credits amounted to $10,000-20,000 a year, real money for farmers.

When efforts to protest MDARD's action proved fruitless, land conservation program managers (including Northfield Township's consultant Barry Lonik) pursued changes to the governing statute. The bill package was introduced with bipartisan support and ushered through the Senate by our State Senator (and Northfield resident) Sue Shink. With the governor's signature, any landowner whose property meets the State definition of farmland (40 acres or greater with 51% in ag use, and smaller properties that generate at least $200/year in gross annual income from farming) who conveys a CE has access to the State tax credits. We hope this will provide an additional incentive for permanent land conservation in Northfield Township and beyond.

03/09/2026

The LPC is working to help preserve land and make it more beneficial for landowners to preserve rather then sell for development! The importance of Northfield millage is evident here!

Housing and commercial developers are outbidding farmers for land across West Michigan and Southwest Michigan.

02/20/2026

Very good to see!

By Barry Lonik The Ann Arbor Township Farmland and Open Space Preservation Program recently closed on a conservation easement purchase from Carolyn Moehrle.  The property is 24.123 acres in size with frontage on the north side of Pontiac Trail north of Warren Rd.  It is almost entirely prime agric...

02/17/2026

This article highlights the importance of preserving land now! We cannot make more!Reading articles like this makes the LPC members so proud to be doing what they can to stop the loss of farmland in our hometown.

Michigan has lost more than 670,000 acres of farmland over two decades. But the cause of this declining acreage is not always clear cut.

07/22/2025

Efforts to help our farming community protect their land was dealt a massive blow in June when the federal government cancelled $24.6M in funding that had been allocated by Congress in the 2018 Farm Bill.

The action jeopardizes about 4,000 acres in Washtenaw County that was in the pipeline for conservation status, including several township parcels.

Northfield Township had committed $1,000,000 of its dedicated farmland preservation millage as a 1:1 match for federal funds. With development rights valued at $8,000/acre, the federal grant would have supported the conservation of at least 250 acres.

Though it was a tough thing to hear, myself and the other members of the Northfield Township LPC are committed to continuing our hard work using our township allocated funds as well as pursuing any other funding sources we are able to towards protecting township lands!

Read more at:

https://legacylandconservancy.org/federal-reversal-jeopardizes-4000-acres-of-michigan-farmland-and-forest/

and

https://legacylandconservancy.org/legacy-files-appeal-in-response-to-federal-reversal-of-24-6m-rcpp-award/

Legacy Land Conservancy filed an appeal to the National Appeals Division (NAD) in response to the Southeast Michigan Conservation Coalition 2024 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project $24.6M award that was rescinded by the federal government in June.

05/09/2025

Exciting news!!

Northfield Township was recently approved for a grant award to purchase a conservation easement from the State of Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund. The Fund provides financial assistance to local units of government that have met the requirements to apply (having a farmland preservation ordinance and a conservation easement monitoring and enforcement policy adopted by the township Board of Trustees, and a master land use plan that identifies an agricultural preservation area). It's Northfield's first award, having just qualified to apply, and is for $100,000, one of only six made this year. The Land Preservation Committee and its consultant are now seeking an additional contribution so that Northfield's share of the appraised value purchase price will be minimized. If all works out, it will be the first conservation easement purchased by Northfield with its dedicated millage approved by voters in 2022. More to come over the next few months.

The Land Preservation Committee appreciates our residents continued support, and is happy to be moving forward with preserving Northfield Township lands!

04/09/2025

Great progress so close to Northfield Township!

Four more farm properties just outside Ann Arbor are being protected through the city's greenbelt program in partnership with others.