Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson has announced another parcel of farmland has been preserved through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The 421 Acre tract in A lot chew ahh County is being preserved through a rural lands protection easement for $2.975 Millon. Holt Agriculture consists of cropland and pastureland with strips of wetland forest following small creeks. The surrounding lands are pasture, upland and wetland forest and planted timber. The irrigated row crops on the farm include peanuts through the winter and broccoli and watermelon through the spring and summer. The understory of the fields includes bahia grass, coffee senna, hairy indigo and scarlet creeper among others. Adjacent areas of the parcel are projected to be developed by 2040 on all sides in the University of Florida development projections. The Rural and Family Lands Protection Program purchases the development rights to agricultural properties through voluntary rural lands protection easements, preventing future development of the land while allowing agricultural operations to continue. Commissioner Simpson said, “Protecting working farms like Holt Agricultural is how we keep Florida free, self-reliant, and economically strong. This easement ensures the land stays in private hands, continues to feed our communities, and supports the values that make rural Florida worth fighting for.”