Florida saves over 2,200 acres of farmland from development under conservation program

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida has permanently protected more than 2,200 acres of working agricultural land in Madison County through a conservation easement, a move the state’s agriculture commissioner says will strengthen food security and protect natural resources.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced Friday that the Kip Whaley Ranch, an approximately 2,292-acre cattle and timber operation, has been preserved from future development through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, or RFLPP.

The RFLPP purchases the development rights to private lands, allowing the owners to continue agricultural operations while permanently preventing non-agricultural development.

“Every acre we preserve through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program strengthens Florida’s food security and protects our natural resources,” Simpson said. “By keeping working lands like Kip Whaley Ranch in private, productive agriculture, we’re investing in the long-term prosperity of our rural communities and ensuring that Florida agriculture endures for generations.”

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