BLENDON TWP., MI (WHTC-AM/FM, Sept. 26, 2026) – It was another banner night for farmland preservation in Ottawa County.
A record, capacity crowd of over 180 persons jammed Hudsonville’s Red Shed and Byre 53 event center last Thursday for the annual Farms are the Tapas fundraiser for the county’s program that keeps agricultural rights through conservation easements. Besides sampling dishes in a competitive situation, in which Farmhouse Deli and Pantry from Douglas earned top honors, there was a premiere of “Protecting Paradise,” a documentary telling the story of the county’s 10-year-old agricultural conservation effort, and an auction that raised over 86 hundred dollars.
County Commissioner Doug Zylstra of Holland has been impressed with the success of this voluntary Farmland Preservation Program.
Since 2016, the PDR program has protected nine agricultural properties totaling 733 acres, with another 391 acres “in process.”
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