Rural dwellers have long maintained that their properties contribute livestock and other agricultural products to the region without taxing school, public safety, and other systems. Meanwhile, developers claim that their mindful building of planned housing developments not only raises land parcel prices, but also increases and diversifies a community’s tax base. Lorraine Garkovich, PhD, professor of community and leadership development at the University of Kentucky, said that although agricultural land tracts are taxed at lower rates than residential properties, farms—including horse-friendly properties—play key roles in the environmental and economic health of counties and towns across Kentucky. As a result, it’s key for communities to find ways to balance growth with the need to conserve land resources for rural use.

According to results of a University of Kentucky equine industry survey released in January 2013, 242,400 horses reside in the state. Kentucky is home to 35,000 equine operations, and more than 1 million of the state’s rural acres are devoted to equine use. As a result, maintaining rural land resources make good economic sense for the state.

But maintaining the state’s rural integrity is not easy. Garkovich said there are several key rural land conservation issues facing property owners and county and local governments in Kentucky and elsewhere. She said chief among those issues are protecting soil resources, sustaining and enhancing farming—including horse farming—as a key component of state and local economies, protecting groundwater recharge areas, maintaining scenic open spaces, and minimizing state, county, and local land use conflicts.

Garkovich said soil preservation is critical as well. Soils found in many parts of the state are highly productive for agricultural purposes. But once that resource is gone, she said, it’s gone