What should I do if my claim for a farmland preservation tax credit was denied stating the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has no record of an agreement number as indicated on my Schedule CR-5?

Verify you have claimed the correct agreement number(s) including the county code on your Schedule CR-5.  If your agreement was recorded prior to September 2016, the agreement or contract number is located in the lower-right corner of your farmland development rights agreement (FDRA).  For agreements recorded in September 2016 or later, the agreement number is located in the lower-left corner and at the top-center of your FDRA.

Verify you have entered each portion of your agreement number in the corresponding section of Column A.  The first two numbers represent the county code where the property is located.  The middle set of numbers is the contract number.  The last six numbers are the date of expiration.

Verify you have entered the complete contract number. The contract number retains its original series throughout the term of the agreement.  However, a letter may be added to indicate the agreement has been split into multiple agreements.  If your agreement number includes a letter, make sure it was included on your Schedule CR-5.

If you were using an incorrect number(s) or did not enter the information in the correct section of Column A, submit a corrected Schedule CR-5 claiming the correct agreement number(s). 

If your agreement number was entered correctly, please contact the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to inquire on the validity of your agreement.

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
Environmental Stewardship Division
P.O. Box 30449
Lansing, Michigan 48909
Phone: 517-284-5663
Fax: 517-335-3131
MDARD-PA116@michigan.gov