Conservation Fund buys former President Carter family farm for $8.5 million — The Hill

In the United States, the conservation nonprofit The Conservation Fund has purchased for $8.5 million the farm of former President Jimmy Carter’s family near the town of Plains, Georgia. The land area is approximately 2,458 acres, The Hill reports.

The 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, grew up on this land and also returned there throughout his life. The organization said it aims to preserve the property as wildlife habitat and open it to visitors in the future.

Plans for the territory

The Conservation Fund plans to transfer the property to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in 2028. This is expected to expand the nearby Lanahassee Creek Wildlife Management Area to nearly 7,000 acres.

The property may open to visitors as early as 2027. Hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation may be permitted there. Stacey Funderburk, vice president of The Conservation Fund for the central-southeastern region, said the organization wants to ensure the land is preserved for future generations.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Connection to the Carter family

As a child, Jimmy Carter worked on the farm with his father, growing peanuts and other crops. In 1952, after his father’s death, he left service in the U.S. Navy, returned to Plains and took over the family business.

The former president’s grandson, Jason Carter, said the land was not only a farm for the family but also a home cherished by his grandfather and grandmother. Jimmy Carter died in December 2024 at the age of 100.

Conservation legacy

During his presidency, Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. The law protected more than 104 million acres of land and remains the largest expansion of protected public lands in U.S. history.