Agricultural Preservation Legislation

Across the country, municipalities are taking a closer look at how growth is reshaping their agricultural landscapes—and many are deciding that protecting farmland is no longer optional.

A growing focus on farmland protection

Once viewed primarily as a rural concern, agricultural preservation is now firmly on the radar of suburban and even urban-edge communities grappling with the pressures of development, infrastructure expansion, siting of renewable energy, and the changing economics of land use.

What’s emerging isn’t a single solution, but a growing set of best practices shaped by local situational context and long-term community goals. The most successful approaches tend to share a common theme: farmland protection works best when it’s treated as a long-term community asset and not just a zoning constraint.

View sample agricultural preservation legislation >

From “open land” to essential infrastructure

One notable shift is how municipalities are reframing farmland itself. Rather than viewing agricultural land as vacant or “waiting” for development, many communities are recognizing it as working infrastructure—supporting local food systems, regional economies, groundwater recharge, flood mitigation, and cultural identity.

Planning documents increasingly describe farmland in the same breath as transportation networks, utilities, and natural systems. This new perspective has helped local leaders justify stronger preservation policies while also broadening public support beyond the farming community alone.

Planning first, regulating second

Case studies are showing that communities making meaningful progress in farmland protection rarely start with zoning changes alone. Instead, they begin with adopted plans that can guide where agriculture should remain a priority and why.

Best practices emerging from such communities include:

Mapping contiguous agricultural areas rather than isolated parcels
Identifying soils, drainage, and farm-supporting infrastructure as a key part of the planning process
Calculating where growth is expected and intentionally steering it away from prime farmland

By doing this work up front, municipalities create a solid foundation that gives credence to later regulatory decisions.

Agricultural zoning that reflects today’s farm economy

Another trend is the modernization of agricultural zoning districts. Communities are learning that preservation efforts can backfire if regulations freeze farms in time or limit their economic viability.

Instead, many municipalities are:

Allowing value-added agricultural uses that help farms remain profitable
Updating use tables to reflect agritourism, on-farm retail, and processing (paired with clear performance standards)
Shifting away from blanket prohibitions toward more flexible regulations that consider specific local conditions.

The goal isn’t to open the door to incompatible uses, but to acknowledge that farms must be allowed to evolve in order to survive.

Pairing regulation with permanence

Regulatory tools alone rarely provide long-term certainty, however. As a result, many municipalities are pairing zoning with permanent preservation strategies, often through partnerships.

Common approaches include:

Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs that compensate landowners for keeping land in agriculture
Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs that redirect growth toward designated areas while preserving farmland elsewhere
Partnerships with land trusts or regional agencies to leverage conservation easements and outside funding

Communities that report the strongest outcomes tend to align these tools with their comprehensive plans, ensuring preservation efforts reinforce, and don’t contradict, their growth strategies.

Managing the edges

While much of farmland preservation policy focuses on large tracts, municipalities are increasingly paying attention to the edges—where farms meet neighborhoods, commercial areas, or infrastructure corridors.

Best practices here include:

Buffer and setback standards that reduce day-to-day conflicts
Disclosure requirements that set expectations for new residents near working farms
Compatibility standards that address noise, lighting, and traffic without overregulating farm operations

These measures don’t eliminate conflicts, but they often prevent small issues from becoming major community concerns.

Right-to-farm as education, not just protection

Right-to-farm provisions are also evolving. Rather than treating them solely as legal shields, many communities are using them as educational tools, clarifying what normal agricultural activity looks like and how disputes should be handled.

Effective ordinances often emphasize:

Clear definitions of accepted agricultural practices
Mediation or advisory processes before formal complaints escalate
Alignment with state right-to-farm statutes, where applicable

This approach reinforces agriculture as a valued community use while still allowing room for health and safety enforcement.

What successful programs have in common

While no two communities take the same path, municipalities with durable farmland preservation programs tend to share a few traits:

Clear planning frameworks that guide decision-making
Regulations that protect land without undermining farm viability
A mix of zoning tools and permanent preservation mechanisms
Attention to compatibility at the urban-rural edge
Ongoing collaboration with landowners, planners, and regional partners

In short, they focus less on a single ordinance and more on a coordinated strategy that develops over time.

A trend that’s still unfolding

Agricultural preservation is an active, evolving area of local legislation. As development pressures change and land values rise, local governments continue to refine how they protect farmland while accommodating growth.

What’s clear from communities across the country is that when agricultural preservation is treated as part of a broader land-use strategy, rather than a standalone restriction, it’s more likely to endure, adapt, and succeed.

Useful examples of agricultural preservation legislation from the eCode360^® Library

If your community is interested in drafting or updating legislation related to door-to-door sales in your community, here are some useful examples that can be found in our eCode360 Library:

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