New York State Commemorates 20 Years of Farmland Protection

On June 28, state Sen. Patty Ritchie and Assemblyman William Magee announced the recent passage of a Joint Resolution of the New York State Senate and Assembly commemorating the 20^th Anniversary of New York State’s Farmland Protection Program. 

Over the last two decades the state’s Farmland Protection Implementation Grants program has provided $140,306,211 to permanently protect 59,150 acres of farmland on 222 farms in 29 counties across New York. 

 

“When it comes to our state’s agriculture industry, available farmland that’s ready for cultivation is one of our most important resources,” said Ritchie, who is chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

“New York state’s Farmland Protection Program has played a key role in safeguarding our farmland, helping to ensure our hardworking farmers have access to undeveloped property, which they can use grow the fresh foods we rely on," she said. "I’ve been proud to advocate for farmland protection, and am looking forward to continuing our efforts to make sure our farmers have the land they need to feed the people of our state, and beyond.”

 

“As the average age of our farmers increases, so does our obligation to protect the farmland of the state by preserving it for agricultural uses,” said Magee, chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee. “Over the past 20 years, the Farmland Protection Program has been successful in establishing the permanent protection of over 59,000 acres of farmland."

"Keeping farmland in production benefits every New Yorker with access to fresh, local farm products, providing sustenance for generations to come, and helping to preserve our way of life in Upstate New York,” he said.

 

Farmland lies at the foundation of New York’s $39 billion farm and food economy and is a key resource in producing fresh, healthy foods grown from local farms. Yet, New York state has lost nearly 500,000 acres of farmland to real estate development since the 1980s – paving over an area equivalent to about 5,000 farms or 3 farms a week for the past 30 years. New research from American Farmland Trust (AFT) has also shown that nearly 30 percent of New York’s farmers are over 65, suggesting that approximately 2 million acres of farmland will change hands in coming years. 

 

Since 1996, New York state has awarded farmland protection money for the purchase of permanent agricultural conservation easements on farmland. Such deed restrictions enable farms to remain in private ownership but ensures that the land will always be kept available for farming. Currently, funding for FPIG is allocated from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.

 

In 2015-2016, $35 million was allocated to farmland protection in the state budget – the most in the state’s history and the fourth largest annual state funding for protecting farmland in America. In 2016-2017, a record appropriation of $300 million for the Environmental Protection Fund included $20 million in funds for the Farmland Protection Program, an increase of $5 million over the previous year.

 

State Budget Includes $35 M for Protecting Farmland

The recently passed New York state budget for 2015-16 includes
$35 million for protecting working farmland. 

“We greatly appreciate the leadership of Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature for making the biggest investment in the state’s history in protecting working farms”, said David Haight, New York State Director for  American Farmland Trust. “This record level of funding places New York among the top five states in the nation in annual state farmland protection funding.” 

The state budget includes $15 million in funding for New York’s Farmland Protection Program from the Environmental Protection Fund and $20 million in a special allocation for the permanent protection of farmland in the Hudson Valley.  

Our goal is to keep New York a national leader in state funding for protecting farmland,” Haight said.

New York state has lost nearly half a million acres of farmland to real estate development since the 1980s, threatening the state’s important agricultural economy and food security.

In 2016, New York will celebrate the 20^th anniversary of its agricultural conservation easement grant program, launched in 1996 by then-Gov. Mario Cuomo. Since its inception, the program has granted $134,476,261 to permanently protect 56,331 acres on 226 farms. 

Event Coming Up Oct. 9 in the Hudson Valley

From American Farmland Trust:

An announcement concerning the new Hudson Valley Farmlink Network is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Oct. 9 at the Wright Family Farm, 329 Kings Highway, Warwick, Orange County.

The Hudson Valley Farmlink Network is a new partnership dedicated to connecting farmers and owners of agricultural land and strengthening opportunities for agriculture and land conservation in the Hudson Valley.  

The network offers new resources for senior farmers, next generation farmers and non-farming owners of agricultural land – and features the new Hudson Valley Farmland Finder website, which will help connect farmers looking for land and landowners seeking to sell or lease their land for farming. 

Attending the Oct. 9 event will be farmers, local, state and federal officials such as Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, land conservation and agricultural organization representatives such as James Delaunes of the Orange County Land Trust and David Haight, state director of American Farmland Trust.

More information about the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network can be found atwww.hudsonvalleyfarmlandfinder.org 

The Hudson Valley Farmlink Network is funded thanks to the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The network is coordinated by American Farmland Trust and includes the following partners:

·         Agricultural Stewardship Association

·         Catskills FarmLink

·         Columbia Land Conservancy

·         Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County

·         Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County

·         Dutchess Land Conservancy

·         Glynwood

·         GrowNYC

·         Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York

·         NY FarmLink

·         Orange County Land Trust

·         Saratoga PLAN

·         Stone Barns Center

·         Westchester Land Trust

Happy Birthday!!!

Got this off Facebook. A great organization. Happy Birthday, American Farmland Trust!!!

State Providing Money for Farmland Protection

From New York state:

State officials announced Wednesday he availability of $20.5 million to aid farmland protection efforts and help prevent viable agricultural land from being converted to non-agricultural use. 

Eligible entities, including municipalities, counties, soil and water conservation districts (SWCD) and nonprofit conservation organizations/land trusts, can apply for individual grants under the Round 13 Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Request for Proposals (RFP).

Funding is available through the state Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets. When offered in the past, the grant has been highly competitive, with requests for state assistance often exceeding available funds by a factor of three.

The Department of Agriculture and Markets anticipates that an even greater number of proposals will be submitted this year because the grant has not been offered by New York state for several years. 

Additionally, revisions to state law have increased the state contribution to a maximum of 87.5 percent (up from 75 percent) and also expanded the number of entities now eligible to apply directly for these funds – adding land trusts and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.

In response to feedback from numerous stakeholders, such as local governments, the number of documents required to complete a project has been reduced and the overall process has been streamlined. In addition, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has instituted a number of contractual milestones to ensure that most projects will be on target for completion under a more practical timeframe.

Application materials and important webinar information for the Round 13 Farmland Protection Implementation Grants RFP are available for download on the Department of Agriculture and Markets website at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS.html. Application materials are also available by calling the Department directly at (800) 554-4501.