(Franklin County, MA) The Massachusetts Agricultural Preservation Restriction program will provide $4.7 million in funding to twelve farms in the state. The APR program pays the difference between fair market value ad the agricultural value of the land in exchange for permanently restricting the land to agricultural usage. American Farmland Trust ranks Massachusetts as third in the country for projected farmland loss by 2040 due to high value of farmland, high prices of homes, and an aging farmer population. Fisk Farm in South Deerfield was awarded $117,000 for land to be preserved which contains nationally significant soil. The Atherton Farm in Buckland was awarded $108,000 for 32.5 acres of preserved farmland.