The Gallatin Valley Land Trust (GVLT) and a local family are proposing to protect 185 acres from development in perpetuity and to ensure that it stays farmland, can be passed down through the generations, and retains its value as a viewshed and connection point for wildlife habitat.
The land is part of a larger, 191.22-acre parcel owned and operated by Matthew White of White’s Potato Farm about 3 miles south of Manhattan along Churchill Road and White Road. The farm produces seed potatoes, wheat, barley, and alfalfa.
A conservation easement valued at $1,940,000 is proposed to be sold by the family and held by GVLT. Under the proposed deal, the White family would donate $446,200 in value to the project and use the federal and county funds to ensure that the farm stays in agriculture and can be passed down to the next generation.
“My grandpa and grandma started the farm in 1952,” reads a letter from White to the Gallatin County Open Lands Board. “My intent is to pass the farm on to my son Dawson, who at just 12 years old follows my every footstep. With the saying ‘farming is in your blood’ I knew it was in mine, but to have a son with so much interest and passion in farming gives it a whole new meaning. I also want to give my daughter Gracie the opportunity to stay in the Valley if she chooses. Protecting the farm with a conversation easement will greatly help make the financial transition to the next generation possible. Thank you for your consideration.”
To help acquire the easement, GVLT has applied for $970,000 in federal funding through the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program. This funding is proposed to be leveraged by obtaining $523,800 from the Gallatin County Open Lands Board, which administers the Gallatin County Open Lands Fund.
The fund, created 25 years ago through a voter-approved initiative, has preserved more than 57,000 acres of farmland, ranchland, wildlife habitat, and scenic open space, as well as the 100-acre Gallatin County Regional Park. Voters first approved a $10 million bond in 2000, then a second in 2004, and a 4.5 mill levy in 2018, which is anticipated to generate about $20 million over 15 years.
GVLT will formally request the $523,800 from the county Open Lands Board next week.
Matthew White’s grandparents began farming the land in 1952, and he grew up on the property farming it with his father. He took over operations in 2018.
The cropland on the property is very productive, with the NRCS having identified 100% of the soil as prime farmland or farmland of local importance, according to the GVLT’s application to the Open Lands Board.
“As you can see in the enclosed application narrative, the White’s Potato Farm property contributes significant public benefit via preservation of the agricultural character of the Gallatin Valley, wildlife habitat and connectivity, and scenic and open views,” reads the application.
The property is between other agricultural operations, thereby providing connectivity and increasing ag viability in the Manhattan-Churchill area, according to GVLT. It’s also across the road from almost 2,800 acres of conserved private land, which creates uninhibited open space between this property and the Gallatin River, according to the application. The property provides pristine views of the Tobacco Roots, Gallatin and Madison Ranges, and the Bridger Range for members of the public traveling on Churchill Road, White Road, and Wooden Shoe Road.
“White’s Potato Farm is a prime candidate for conservation based on its prime farmland and open space,” reads the application. “This project meets many of the goals of the Gallatin County Growth Policy as well as Manhattan’s City-County Growth Policy in a part of the County that is experiencing significant land use change and development pressure. We thank you for your consideration and look forward to presenting this application to the Open Lands Board.”
The White’s Potato Farm Conservation Easement project could be complete in spring 2027, according to GVLT.
The board will hear a presentation on the proposed easement and consider the funding request at a meeting to begin at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 27, in the third-floor community room at the county courthouse, 311 West Main St., Bozeman. The meeting can be watched via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87821838146. The Zoom meeting ID is 878 2183 8146.