Three conservation pre-applications covering roughly 45 acres of pasture and irrigated ground on the Hyde Park–Smithfield bench were presented Nov. 3 to the Cache County Cash Open Space Advisory Committee. Brian Nielsen, executive director of the Utah Agricultural Land Trust, outlined three parcels owned by members of the Corbridge and Mickel families and a separate 9-acre KMB parcel; the properties sit within the county’s Hyde Park future trails map and an aquifer recharge zone.

The applicants requested county support as part of a multi-funder package. Nielsen said the group is requesting $623,000 from cash open space; applicants expect to pursue NRCS funding first-quarter 2026 and plan to resubmit to the LeRay McAllister working farm and ranch grant in March 2026. Nielsen described the current ask as contingent on those external funding decisions.

Landowner Don Corbridge, who identified himself as a fourth- and fifth-generation farmer, described past annexation and condemnation actions by Hyde Park City and said the family’s goal is to keep the land in agricultural production. "We're trying to keep it as a family farm as long as we can," Corbridge said. Mark Ashcroft, representing KMB, said if accepted and funded he would buy out siblings to keep the property intact. "We wanna keep it in the family. We don't want it subdivided," Ashcroft said.

Committee members encouraged the applicants to combine contiguous parcels into larger applications, saying contiguous, larger projects typically score better for both NRCS and LeRay McAllister funding and increase agricultural viability in the long term. Staff noted the parcels align with the county trail master plan and the Smithfield canal runs adjacent to several properties, which could strengthen public-benefit arguments.

Applicants and staff said appraisals have been started for some parcels; one project’s total easement value was listed in the packet at $2,492,000. Several funding numbers discussed were preliminary: applicants said they would donate portions of the easement value back to the county as part of cost-share arrangements and that NRCS and LeRay McAllister results are pending.

The committee did not take a formal vote on funding at the meeting; members advised applicants to pursue a consolidated application if neighboring owners are willing and to return with a formal application once appraisals and partner funding commitments are in place.