Since 1987, nearly 176,000 acres of agricultural land on 822 farms have been conserved with VHCB funds matched with federal funds provided through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Proceeds from the sale of development rights has contributed to renewed vitality in agriculture, enabling young farmers to purchase farms at an affordable price and helping established farmers to reduce long-term debt, invest in infrastructure, make operations more profitable and efficient or to retire. At the same time that some larger dairy farms have consolidated, smaller farms are becoming stronger through diversification, by producing for specialty markets, and by minimizing costs of production. By focusing on conserving contiguous blocks of farmland in traditional farming communities, VHCB’s Farmland Conservation Program helps to ensure that farms are not isolated by residential development and communities can continue to support a healthy range of businesses that serve and rely on neighboring farms.