Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced Wednesday that a family farm in Florida will be preserved through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.
South Prong, a nearly 2,400-acre working timber and hunting property in Baker County, is being preserved through a rural land protection easement for $4,999,000.
Read: Another Florida Family Farm Preserved Through Rural And Family Lands Protection Program
“We’re thrilled to welcome South Prong to the growing community of generational farmers in Florida dedicated to the productivity and sustainability of our agricultural landscape through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program,” said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “Protecting our rural lands through rural land easements enhances food security, keeps these properties in the local tax system, and ensures property owners comply with state conservation standards for land and natural resources.”
The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program purchases the development rights to agricultural properties through voluntary rural land protection easements.
These easements prevent the future development of the land and allow agriculture operations to continue contributing to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to Florida’s prosperity.
South Prong
South Prong is a working forest and hunting property situated at the headwaters of the South Prong of the St. Marys River.
The property includes 1,427 acres of uplands, of which 1,355 acres represent actively managed timber and 72 acres of other agriculture. Pine species on the property include slash, loblolly, and longleaf; stands range from semi-natural flatwoods to pine plantations with diverse age classes. More than 970 acres of wetlands are considered as natural areas, although 113 acres of wet flatwoods are used in active forestry. The remaining 860 acres represent mixed pine-hardwood bottomland and cypress swamp (bottomland forest, hydric hammock, baygall, floodplain/basin swamp).
In addition to forestry, the property supports income-producing managed hunts and agritourism. The property also is open to various youth and educational groups.
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