Celebrating 23 Years of the Farmland Protection Ordinance by Protecting Two More Farms

​

Twenty-three years after its implementation, Kane County celebrated the anniversary of Kane County’s Farmland Protection Ordinance with the addition of two more farms to the list. The County Board, which met on Tuesday, June 11, unanimously voted to approve the addition of the farms to the protection ordinance.

The Ruh family, early adopters of the program, was approved to protect an additional 200 acres in Virgil Township. The Farmland Protection Program provides an opportunity to address land conservation along with habitat protection, water quality, and soil health on farms and in the surrounding areas. The Natural Resource Conservation Service, Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District, and Kane staff will assist the Ruh family with conservation planning and metrics to identify opportunities to further support conservation goals.    

Additionally, the Long family, who has been farming since the early 1900s, was approved to protect 67 acres in Big Rock Township. Mr. Long has retired from farming and has passed his farm onto the next generation, with his sons continuing to grow corn and soybeans.    

In sustaining the efforts of the 2040 Conceptual Land Use Strategy to preserve 50% of the county's land area in open space and working agriculture, Kane County has protected over 7,000 acres of farmland, with an additional 1,000 acres in process.

Learn more about the Kane County Farmland Protection program by clicking here.​