Under pressure from explosive population growth and demand for housing, open land is being transformed into high-end apartments and subdivisions across the Wasatch Front and elsewhere in Utah.
While these developments are necessary, it does not erase Utah’s desire to hang onto its agricultural heritage.
The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food has announced $1 million in funding to permanently protect working farms and ranches through conservation easements under the 2025 LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund.
Administered by the agriculture agency, the LeRay McAllister Fund helps preserve working farms and ranches that are vital to Utah’s economy, food security and rural heritage.
Utah, despite the increasing urbanization pressures in a growing state, persists in being a vital player in the food and fiber market.
As an example, the state is a top producer of tart cherries, second only to Michigan. City celebrations across the state laud the heritage of agriculture — such as Peach Days in Brigham City, Tomato Days in Hooper or Melon Days in Green River, which attracts international visitors.
John Chugg and his family owns about 100 acres for dairy farming in Weber County, but the area is getting crowded and he feels the pressure of development.
He works the best he can to keep the operation going amid housing that keeps surrounding him. But he says the new people moving in understand. They want open space as well, Chugg said, which is ironic — you move somewhere to get away from it all and the “all” follows.
“When you are bailing hay in the middle of the night they don’t mind it, they would rather have that than homes,” he said. “They really love our dairy. They like the rural atmosphere.”
But as Utah grows, open land is often replaced by pavement to give life to retail development, housing and industry. It is a balancing act to meet the demands of growth but to also give a nod to farming and the rural amenities that come with the fabric of what makes this state.
“Land is finite. It is the driving force with everything we do at Utah Open Lands,” said the organization’s spokesman Josh Stasinos.
“A lot of families are having important conversations about legacy and some of them do the best thing and put in a conservation easement and they’re looking long term into the future,” he said. “Preserving our heritage and looking to future is what we should do for our kids and their kids so they can enjoy Utah and its beauty.”
Through strategic partnerships with landowners, land trusts, local governments and other entities, the fund enables long-term conservation of Utah’s most productive and threatened agricultural lands.
Since 1999, over 68,855 acres of working farmland have been placed into conservation easements with funding from the LeRay McAllister Program to keep this agricultural land in operation forever.
In past years, the fund has helped preserve iconic family farms in Cache Valley, ranchlands in Sanpete County and beyond, protecting both natural resources, local food security and rural livelihoods.
“Once farmland is developed, it’s gone forever. In a rapidly growing state, protecting agricultural land is critical to ensuring Utah’s future food production, open space and rural character,” said UDAF Commissioner Kelly Pehrson.
“The LeRay McAllister Fund helps us act now to protect agricultural land, keeping longstanding family farms in operation and ensuring land remains available for farmers and ranchers looking to enter into agriculture.”
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, with two funding batches per year. Projects will be evaluated based on criteria including agricultural productivity, threat of conversion, water resource protection, and the land’s contribution to local and regional conservation priorities.
Eligible applicants include:
• Nonprofit land trusts
• Local governments
• Other entities qualified to hold conservation easements under Utah law
Projects may leverage matching funds through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service or other complementary programs such as local open space bond programs, county greenbelt rollback tax funds and landowner donations.
Interested applicants are encouraged to review the program guidelines and application materials available on the UDAF website and to contact UDAF staff early to discuss project eligibility and timelines.
For more information, please contact Jeremy Christensen, UDAF land conservation program manager, at jeremyc@utah.gov or 385- 441-4106.
It is an opportunity to put land in a savings account, if you will.
“It truly healing and magical. It is how we recharge our batteries and get back in the world,” said Stasinos.