Farmland Preservation, it's about more than farms

The web developer in me wants you to watch the video below because I think it’s really cool that we are able to convert DVDs, slideshows and other video content and display them in a cross-platform and inexpensive way.

However, the Leelanau County business owner and lifelong Leelanau County resident in me is the part that has the most to say today.

To put it in the simplest terms, I strongly believe that the vast majority of income in Leelanau County is derived from its rural beauty and that our hilltops of orchards and vineyards are a big part of that. I also know without a shadow of a doubt that this beauty is why I have chosen to make Leelanau County my home. Farmland and other preservation is often portrayed as something that just rich folks want. If you’ve ever had your heart swell with a love of this land while gazing at rows of cherry trees on Schomberg Rd or the vineyards in Elm Valley or any of the other bountiful vistas from Northport to Empire, you know it is not. Farming is food for more than just the table, and I believe it is our duty to do what we can to offset the economic pressures on farmers who want to keep on farming and keep farmland in production.

For just about everybody, we’re talking about a cost of less than $40/yr for this measure. Two twenty dollar bills (or less) to make a difference in the lives of our great-great grandchildren seems to me a very small price.

There is a lot of talk about how this measure won’t help farmers, that to really help them we need to lower taxes. Watch the video, you will see farmers who say that this WILL help them. Talk to them. Visit the Save Leelanau Farmland web site. Get informed.

– Andy McFarlane

Feel welcome to post a comment below, call me at 231-256-2829 or email andy@leelanau.com if you have questons, comments or disagreements.