GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A couple in Grattan Township, northeast of Cannonsburg, are celebrating the commemoration of their newly preserved farmland with a sign dedication on their 67-acre property.
Kent County purchased the development rights from Scott and Melissa Sieracki as part of the Purchase of Development Rights program.
The program was created to compensate people who own agricultural property for accepting a permanent deed restriction made to limit their property's future development for non-agricultural use.
The property development rights were purchased through federal funds, donations from Grattan Township and the Sieracki family.
“We are very happy the Sieracki family decided to be a part of the Purchase of Development Rights program," said Matt Channing, agricultural preservation specialist at Kent County. "Preserving farmland within Kent County ensures land protection and local food security for generations.”
The farm has been in the Sieracki family for 22 years since Scott purchased the land when he and his wife moved to Michigan from Texas.
Scott grew up helping on his grandfather's dairy farm, and today he and Melissa grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay.
"We heard the Purchase of Development Rights program was successful in Kent County and it just made sense to my wife and I to preserve our land for years to come," Scott said. "My grandfather, who has since passed, was also very much in favor of this opportunity to protect and preserve farmland so the 67 acres will continue to give farmers access to agricultural ground."
The Sieracki farm's abundance of "prime and unique soils" was what led the Agricultural Preservation Board to select it for the program, along with its proximity to other protected properties.
The Sierackis were joined in their celebration on Oct. 12 by County Commissioners Stan Ponstein (District 7), Walter Bujak (District 21), Jennifer Merchant (District 3), Carol Hennessy (District 14) and Lisa Oliver-King (District 15) along with Kent County Agricultural Preservation board members, neighbors and other farmers.
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