Ag News

Georgia voters approve expansion of CUVA acreage

The proposed amendment to the state constitution to expand acreage allowed under the Conservation Use Value Assessment (CUVA) passed in the Nov. 3 general election, with 53.85% of voters in favor.  Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) and a coalition of agriculture and timber organizations supported the measure.

"Georgia's farmers are grateful that the state's voters saw the merits of keeping land in agricultural production and supporting it with their votes," said GFB President Tom McCall. "CUVA ensures qualifying land is taxed based on its actual productivity value rather than inflated real estate potential, and its benefits extend far beyond agriculture."

CUVA ensures qualifying land is taxed based on its actual productivity value rather than inflated real estate potential. The amendment was listed as Question 1 on Georgia ballots. It will allow individual farmland owners to include up to 4,000 acres in the CUVA program. Currently, individuals are allowed to enter a maximum of 2,000 acres in the program.

CUVA eases the property tax burden on production farmland, timberland, and conservation properties, incentivizing landowners to keep that land in agricultural production or conservation uses instead of selling the land for development, data centers or installing solar farms.

GFB has pointed out that farmland enrolled in CUVA pays $2.60 in property taxes for every $1 in county services it receives. By comparison, residential property generates 70 cents for every $1 in services received.

The program protects all working natural lands, including timber tracts, wildlife habitats, and environmentally sensitive areas across the state while keeping our green spaces, preventing urban sprawl, protecting local watersheds, and preserving rural landscapes that benefit all Georgians.

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