For as long the family can remember, farming has been a way of life for the Kulmans.
During the Great Depression, when other farmers were getting out of the business, John Kulman was purchasing land in Richmond Township in order to preserve the family’s stake in agriculture.
His son, Robert, expanded the farm even further when he and his wife, Beverly, took it over, by bringing in dairy cows, which they milked with the help of their children including four girls and two boys for more than 50 years.
The Kulman girls grew up on the farm, but it was the boys, Vern and Ken Kulman, who took over the family business after graduating from high school, and with the support of their wives, have been tending to the land ever since.
Now that they are older and with Vern and his wife Theresa not having any children and Ken and Nancy’s not likely to become farmers, the brothers are looking into a program that will preserve the land for those who do want to farm it.
“This ground here, it is some of the best farmland in the state, and we need to preserve it for future generations,” said Vern Kulman, adding that if we’re not careful we’ll lose the ability to grow our own food, crops or other agricultural commodities. “It’s just too valuable to use it for housing.”
It’s for this reason that Kulman offered to sell his development rights through a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) agreement. Ken is also considering it for a portion of his 130 acres.
Now Richmond Township has two years to complete the appraisal and assessments of the land, required by the state for the PDR agreement. Once that is done it will join the list of acreages that will remain protected for agricultural purposes.
“You have to have all your ducks in a row, so to speak, before you become part of the program,” Kulman said.
What is a PDR?
According to the Macomb County Planning and Economic Development, a PDR very simply allows a landowner the option to preserve his/her property as farmland in perpetuity. In volunteering to do so, a landowner is paid the fair market value of the development rights of his/her property and an easement is then placed on the property that prohibits it from being used for anything other than agriculture.
Kulman and his family gave up dairy farming several years ago because there wasn’t any money it, but they still farm some crops and raise beef cattle. Ken and his family also use the wooded areas on his farm for hunting or horseback riding. His daughter Rebbeca Patton is a deputy with the Mounted Division of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office.
“In the future, some other type of farmer might come here and use the land for growing produce, cannabis, or whatever else might come along,” Kulman said, as long as it has to do with agriculture.
Kulman, who is 67 years old, sold his development rights, but he remains the landowner. Should he choose not to retire but do something different with the land he can do so, as long as it relates to agriculture.
The value of the development rights is generally calculated as the difference between the development value and the agricultural value of the land.
Kulman’s development rights were appraised at $440,000 but because of his donation to the state and tax agreements he is likely to receive about $224,000.
Proceeds of a PDR agreement may be used by the landowner to make additional investments in agricultural pursuits or living space. The property can also be sold but the classification of “agricultural” because of the program stays attached to the property.
“Vern Kulman and the other agricultural producers who have elected to participate in the Purchase of Development Rights program truly recognize the economic significance, environmental stewardship, and cultural heritage of farming in Macomb County,” said Jeff Schroeder, deputy director of Macomb County Planning and Economic Development (MCPED). “Their conservation actions to ensure the quality agricultural land they work today will continue to provide food and economic benefits are truly a gift to future generations of Macomb County residents.”
Terry Gibb concurred.
“This is good agricultural land that needs to be preserved,” said Gibb, senior extension educator at Michigan State University Extension. “Also, it sends a very positive message to other farmers in other counties, not just Macomb but also Allegan and Genesee counties that this can be done if we all work together.”
Gibbs said instead of using farmland why not figure out a way to reuse parcels that have been left unused, like old strip malls or abandoned warehouses.
“I live in Warren,” Gibbs said. “We’ve got a lot of places that can be revitalized to become great new developments.”
Vacant land can be cheaper, and there are grants available for redeveloping the parcel.
“If you don’t want to farm or do not have someone who can farm, rent the land out,” said Gibbs, who is a voting member of the Macomb Agricultural PDR Committee (MAPDRC), which began decades ago as a group of concerned citizens looking to address the loss of farmland in the county and has since become the committee overseeing the PDR program.
“We called ourselves the ‘Citizens for Quality Growth,'” said Ken Destock, a produce farmer and president of the MAPDRC in the report by the MCPED. Its members include representatives from northern Macomb County’s municipalities, MSU Extension-Macomb, and the Macomb County Board of Commissioners. “We knew we needed to do something to protect farmland and open space.”
Macomb agricultural industry
A few facts about farming in Macomb County compiled by the MCPED:
- In 1950, there were 2,345 operating farms in the county covering nearly 197,000 acres of land.
- Today, Macomb County has more than 400 operating farms covering nearly 73,000 acres.
- Despite the reduction in farm nearly a quarter of the county’s land is still being used for agricultural purposes.
- The farm to table tradition in the county has flourished mainly because 96% of the farms are family owned.
- The county has nearly 60 locations focused on food processing and manufacturing operations.
- Traditional farming and nontraditional production has allowed adaptability of farms throughout the county.
- From 2010-2018 there was a 55.6 percent increase in job growth in the food and agriculture sector in Macomb County.
- Since 2009, food manufacturing jobs within Macomb County have nearly doubled from more than 760 to just over 1,400 and agricultural production jobs have risen from 850 to nearly 1,100.
Kulman is not the only farmer helping to preserve the county’s agricultural base.
At least four other agreements in northern Macomb County have been made to preserve more than 400 acres of farmland.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) along with the Michigan Agricultural Preservation Fund Board also awarded $1.8 million statewide in agricultural preservation fund grants preserving another 730 acres of farmland in Scio Township, Ottawa County, Kent County, Webster Township, Washtenaw County, Eaton County and Barry County.
“Ensuring the long-term sustainability of Michigan’s nearly 10 million acres of farmland is the foundation for preserving our food production and supply,” said Gary McDowell, director of the MDARD. “These grants assist local preservation programs in purchasing development rights to preserve important farmland in their communities thereby protecting farmland.”
“It’s not about the farmers,” Kulman said. “It’s about saving the land for the next generation. Who knows what they’ll need it for?”
Any farmers within the program participating communities, including Bruce Township, Armada Township, Richmond Township, Washington Township and Ray Township, who are interested in submitting an application need to contact their township clerk’s office directly. The application deadline set by the PDR Committee is Nov. 19, 2021, for the current state grant cycle.
