Davis family wins farm protection

FARMINGTON — The Diamond family has no worries now about potential complaints against their farming and hunting operation in western Davis County.

The Davis County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved the family's petition to place 197 acres of land west of Syracuse under agricultural protection.

"I think it's a great way to preserve something that's not only beautiful but essential to our county," said Commissioner Louenda Downs.

The designation means that residents of future subdivisions won't be able to complain when the Diamonds engage in normal agricultural activities, which can be noisy, dusty, stinky and occur throughout the night.

"We're pleased, needless to say, with the decision," said John Diamond, who owns the land. "That is what we were after."

Commissioners' approval of the petition followed preliminary approval from an advisory board in December and from the county's planning commission earlier this month. The designation for the Diamond's land is the sixth agricultural protection area in the county since the Legislature enacted a law allowing it in 1994.

Statewide, Utah has 11.6 million acres of farmland, and slightly more than 179,000 acres are protected agricultural areas.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com