This report presents the primary accomplishments of the Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP) for the period of December 1, 2021 – November 30, 2022.

Significant accomplishments for OFP during this reporting period include the following:

• Continued to work with key agriculture, conservation, and government partners to refine the allocation process for state matching funds to local purchase of development rights (PDR) programs;

• Allocated $1,000,000 in fiscal year (FY) 2022 state matching funds to seven local PDR programs;

• Worked with local PDR programs to permanently preserve 313.45 acres (four easements) of working farm and forest lands. OFP provided $699,130 of the $1,553,643 total purchase price and transaction costs paid for these easements;

• Continued to work with key partners to advance education around transition planning, including assisting with the launch of the Virginia Transition Professionals Network;

• Allocated $16,000 to Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) to reimburse VCE for workshops it conducted to help farm families and professional service providers transition farms and farming operations; and

• Continued a collaboration with the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation (VFBF) on the management of the Certified Farm Seekers Program and on continued improvements to the Virginia Farm Link website and database.