Looking for just the right background for this blog - in the end I come back to "Home." The farm where I grew up. The land means a lot to farmers and ranchers, and many of us cherish those special "home" places. For me, there will always be a feeling of coming home and being home at this place. Still "home is where the heart is." In the end, what is most important is not the farm but the family. I was reminded of this when I opened a letter recently, another in a series of many encouraging us to place our farm in a conservation easement. While my husband and I value our land and hope it will continue in agricultural production after we are gone, what we value most is our family. I am most comfortable leaving those future decisions about the use of the land to our children and grandchildren and their children. It is for them and their futures that we work the land. Only they will know what the future holds that will be the best decision for them and our farm at that time.
The question posed by a conservation easement is would you rather leave it to your heirs to determine the future of your property or to a government agency or conservation organization to decide how it should be used and what constitutes acceptable agricultural uses. That's a property right I'm not willing to take from my children and put in others' hands.
After all - "This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue." (Albert E. Brumley)
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