Farms in Jefferson County face many pressures, not least of which is the push to convert their fields into space for houses and stores.

To help protect a few of the most productive and potentially endangered farms in the area, the Jefferson County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board is considering an initiative that will pay farmers to give up their development rights in perpetuity.

Working with Jefferson County officials, the Farmland Protection Board plans to apply for a state grant to purchase the development rights for one to three farms.

Before they do so, however, both agencies want to make sure that any farmers interested in the program understand the consequences of voluntarily surrendering their development rights.

"Part of the process is an education effort," said Douglas W. Shelmidine, Farmland Protection Board president. "Certainly, we want people to realize that, even though this is voluntary, when you take money from the program, you are releasing the right to develop that land forever."

Farmland Protection Board members will explain the program at a meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the conference room of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, 203 N. Hamilton St., Watertown. The meeting is free, but those interested in participating are asked to register by calling 782-1806.

This is not a new project; the Farmland Protection Board has been working with the American Farmland Trust and Jefferson County officials for the past two years to implement a local development rights program.

The pressure on agricultural land has increased as more space is used for recreational, development and speculation purposes, Mr. Shelmidine said.

"You can't be the fastest-growing county in the state without losing agricultural land to make that happen," he said.

Since so many details hinge on the interest of farmers, and the state's response to any future grant application, Mr. Shelmidine said it is impossible to say how many acres might be protected or how much the program may cost.

The price of development rights is determined by calculating the difference between the development value and agricultural value of the land. The resulting easement, that there can be no further development on the property, is enforced through monitoring by local land trusts.

Andrew R. Nevin, a senior planner with the county, said interested farmers will have their land evaluated in terms of the soil quality, productivity, number of acres, environmental characteristics, farm viability and outside development pressure.

The county and Farmland Protection Board then will recommend the top farms to be funded under the state Department of Agriculture and Markets purchase of development rights program, he said.

"Clearly, with one farm or three farms, it's a good start, but you want to try to do this over time to preserve the viability of farmland countywide," said Mr. Nevin. "It would be an ongoing process."