{
  "story_id": "853a42e62bba89b3a5129302d9cd485e",
  "desk": "drm3",
  "revision": 1,
  "published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
  "content_hash": "827c75da6a531e33f3e072425c14efeb6b3aece17ac049996eece7d67bde0e5c",
  "hash_basis": "sha256 over `headline\\ndek\\nprose`, plus `\\n` + the canonical citations JSON when any source is placed, plus `\\n#blog` for blogs",
  "basis": {
    "headline": "Michigan Farmer Sells Development Rights to Protect 131-Acre Family Farm",
    "dek": "John Boyer sold development rights on his 131-acre Michigan farm to prevent future housing development.",
    "prose": "In 2026, John Boyer sold the development rights for his 131-acre property to the Little Traverse Conservancy through a conservation easement. [^1]\n\nJohn Boyer, a farmer in East Jordan, Michigan, purchased back his family's 131-acre property after it had changed hands several times over the decades. [^2]\n\nFarmland owned by farmers in Michigan fell by about 208,000 acres, or 3.6%, between 2017 and 2022, according to USDA data. [^3]\n\nIn 2022, Michigan had approximately 9.5 million acres devoted to farming, a decrease of roughly 3% from the 9.8 million acres recorded in 2017. [^4]\n\nMichigan farmland was valued at approximately $6,800 per acre in 2025, representing a 7.8% increase from 2024 and outpacing the national average of 4.3%. [^5]\n\nJohn Boyer stated that the decision was driven by a fear that productive farm fields would be lost forever if the land were divided into smaller parcels for development. [^6]\n\nThe conservation easement restricts future residential and commercial development on the property, ensuring it cannot be divided for housing even if ownership changes. [^7]",
    "cited": "[{\"statement\":\"In 2026, John Boyer sold the development rights for his 131-acre property to the Little Traverse Conservancy through a conservation easement.\",\"source\":\"The Times Of India\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Times Of India\"]},{\"statement\":\"John Boyer, a farmer in East Jordan, Michigan, purchased back his family's 131-acre property after it had changed hands several times over the decades.\",\"source\":\"The Times Of India\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Times Of India\"]},{\"statement\":\"Farmland owned by farmers in Michigan fell by about 208,000 acres, or 3.6%, between 2017 and 2022, according to USDA data.\",\"source\":\"Investigate Midwest\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Investigate Midwest\"]},{\"statement\":\"In 2022, Michigan had approximately 9.5 million acres devoted to farming, a decrease of roughly 3% from the 9.8 million acres recorded in 2017.\",\"source\":\"Investigate Midwest\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Investigate Midwest\"]},{\"statement\":\"Michigan farmland was valued at approximately $6,800 per acre in 2025, representing a 7.8% increase from 2024 and outpacing the national average of 4.3%.\",\"source\":\"Investigate Midwest\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"Investigate Midwest\"]},{\"statement\":\"John Boyer stated that the decision was driven by a fear that productive farm fields would be lost forever if the land were divided into smaller parcels for development.\",\"source\":\"The Times Of India\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Times Of India\"]},{\"statement\":\"The conservation easement restricts future residential and commercial development on the property, ensuring it cannot be divided for housing even if ownership changes.\",\"source\":\"The Times Of India\",\"instrument\":\"News\",\"claim_key\":null,\"published_at\":\"2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z\",\"publisher_count\":1,\"sources\":[\"The Times Of India\"]}]",
    "kind": "news"
  },
  "receipt_verify": "Ed25519 over the dot-joined string `slice_hash.cursor_from.cursor_to.view.view_version.row_count`; public_key and sig are base64url of the raw 32-byte key / 64-byte signature",
  "receipt": null,
  "receipt_note": "this revision predates receipt-keeping (before v0.37.0); the filed row lives in the record",
  "generation_chain": {
    "wire": {
      "stream": "fountain_news",
      "story_id": "8b535bb92f1c5f5bdceeda2420b17832",
      "thread_id": "60b2bfe3a30a731179c5b89e642674c4",
      "thread_label": "Joe Graham",
      "novelty": "UPDATE",
      "content_hash": "9a2cf26f93970b7cd36230e5cbf82c1d40a8c9741259eb0dcb6f9a82350deaff",
      "last_published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
      "read_receipt": {
        "slice_hash": "8a5b664620c1e1ce6df89e927a288aaf3158f97c614b79c5b085ba7c7732bd82",
        "cursor_from": "eyJ0cyI6IjIwMjYtMDktMDNUMjE6NDU6NTMuMDAwMDAwWiIsImlkIjoiOTQ1NDU4MWY3YjJmMTI0MGQ1ZGVhMjVmMzg1MzNiZGIiLCJ2IjoiMSJ9",
        "cursor_to": "eyJ0cyI6IjIwMjYtMDktMDNUMjI6MjQ6MjQuMDAwMDAwWiIsImlkIjoiMmIwMjcwOGU1MDJhYjFjYWJhZmI3MzlmMTViZDc0MTQiLCJ2IjoiMSJ9",
        "view": "v_fountain_news",
        "view_version": "1",
        "row_count": 100,
        "window_days": 3,
        "bytes_scanned": 12166856,
        "credits": 8,
        "price_per_100_rows": 8,
        "sig": "yvHxRQK1pf_1kC61yP0QIGVq4EFC1UaNsf82-D210M341h3GUNpol09-_g2VU4MjqhVR0Lyl7y9aRPpvYxy5Ag",
        "public_key": "bMUigy8O0jOnBxQ4Sc-5lwhIZ8LQVAhxMbR7qESVuUE",
        "signer_path": "lakehouse/data-extract/v1",
        "alg": "Ed25519",
        "signed": true
      }
    },
    "written_at": "2026-09-04T06:47:23.861Z"
  },
  "cited_facts": [
    {
      "statement": "In 2026, John Boyer sold the development rights for his 131-acre property to the Little Traverse Conservancy through a conservation easement.",
      "source": "The Times Of India",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Times Of India"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "John Boyer, a farmer in East Jordan, Michigan, purchased back his family's 131-acre property after it had changed hands several times over the decades.",
      "source": "The Times Of India",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Times Of India"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "Farmland owned by farmers in Michigan fell by about 208,000 acres, or 3.6%, between 2017 and 2022, according to USDA data.",
      "source": "Investigate Midwest",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Investigate Midwest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "In 2022, Michigan had approximately 9.5 million acres devoted to farming, a decrease of roughly 3% from the 9.8 million acres recorded in 2017.",
      "source": "Investigate Midwest",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Investigate Midwest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "Michigan farmland was valued at approximately $6,800 per acre in 2025, representing a 7.8% increase from 2024 and outpacing the national average of 4.3%.",
      "source": "Investigate Midwest",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-02T17:47:43.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "Investigate Midwest"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "John Boyer stated that the decision was driven by a fear that productive farm fields would be lost forever if the land were divided into smaller parcels for development.",
      "source": "The Times Of India",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Times Of India"
      ]
    },
    {
      "statement": "The conservation easement restricts future residential and commercial development on the property, ensuring it cannot be divided for housing even if ownership changes.",
      "source": "The Times Of India",
      "instrument": "News",
      "claim_key": null,
      "published_at": "2026-09-03T22:22:08.000Z",
      "publisher_count": 1,
      "sources": [
        "The Times Of India"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "note": "A signature proves who filed this and that it has not changed since. It never makes a claim true."
}