Background and Purpose
Minnesota Statutes § 473H established the Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves Program in 1980 to encourage and preserve areas planned and zoned for long-term agricultural use within the seven-county metropolitan area, except for Ramsey County as it is fully developed.
The purpose of the statute is to encourage the use and improvement of the metropolitan area’s agricultural lands for producing food and other agricultural commodities. It establishes a local planning process to designate agricultural areas as a long-term land use and provides benefits to maintain viable, productive farm operations.
The Metropolitan Council prepares an annual report, maps all lands certified as agricultural preserves, and reviews future land use maps to ensure that the land reflects densities consistent with this program requirements (a maximum density of 1 unit per 40 acres). Many partners work together to implement this program including property owners, local authorities across the region, counties, MN Department of Agriculture, and the Met Council.
Agricultural Preserves in 2023
In 2023, program enrollment experienced a decline of 3,104 acres from the previous year (2022). As communities along the emerging suburban edge areas of the region continue to develop, less land supply is being dedicated to agricultural use. There is still, however, a strong presence of property owners participating in the program in Carver and Dakota counties, which have maintained robust participation in the program over the last decade. The chart below illustrates the overall trend of acres enrolled into the Program by county since 2001.
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For more information regarding the 2023 Report and presentation to the Community Development Committee, please see the links below: