FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-September 26, 2024  Logan, Utah — The LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Grant Program awarded a $350,000 grant to Utah Agricultural Land Trust on behalf of Provo-based Cascade Farm. The grant will be used as matching funding against a federal grant that was awarded in January 2024.  “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant funding and appreciate that the selection committee recognized the value of Cascade Farm to the Provo community,” said Bryan Nielsen, Executive Director of UALT.  Cascade Farm is a 20-acre property that, when protected, will encompass nearly 700 acres of open space in west Provo near Utah Lake.  “This is such an important undertaking in Utah County and is already an area that is widely used by the entire community for hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities,” said Nielsen.  In 2024, the Utah legislature allocated $1 million to the Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food for the funding of the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Grant.

Utah Agricultural Land Trust works with Utah agricultural landowners to protect their land from development. The mechanism for this protection is placing a conservation easement on the property which limits certain uses, namely residential or commercial development. The agricultural landowner is paid to place conservation easements on their property.  More information on UALT is available at www.utahaglandtrust.org

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Contact:  Deborah Van Noy

435-770-7095