In 1996, New York State provided counties that have approved farmland protection plans with implementation grants to purchase development rights (PDR) on farmlands.

Purchase of development rights (PDR) is a voluntary farmland protection technique that pays farmland owners for permanently protecting land for agriculture. Since 1996, New York State has committed more than $40 million to its Farmland Protection Program for the purchase of development rights on thousands of acres around the state, helping keep viable farms in production. Funding for New York State's Farmland Protection Program comes through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund and from the Governor's Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act.

The intent of the New York State Farmland Protection Program, while it reinforces open space protection, is to keep farms as part of the working landscape. The real goal of New York's Farmland Protection PDR program is to keep farms viable and functioning, and to help assure their continuation into the next generation. This is a different intent than open space protection programs which are administered and funded by national, state and regional organizations such as The Open Space Institute or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation which is charged with New York State's open space conservation program.

The Otsego County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board and the Otsego County Planning Department work to implement a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program in Otsego County.

The Otsego County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board, representing farms that are interested in having their properties considered for the PDR program, can submit applications to the grant program annually.

In the 2000-2001 funding cycle, New York State received more than $63 million in PDR requests, and made $12 million in PDR commitments to 16 farms across New York State.