Ms. Maggie Hartley, Editor
Daily Gazette
P.O. Box 1090
Schenectady, NY 12301-1090

January 6, 2008

Dear Ms. Hartley:

The Daily Gazette article on December 26th titled “Farm Organizations List Priorities for State Budget” highlighted agriculture's budget priorities in the state budget. Funding for the state's Farmland Protection Program is important to many farmers, as New York has invested almost $150 million dollars in strengthening the future for farms and related businesses from
Long Island to Buffalo. Participating farms frequently use funding to buy more farmland, purchase new equipment, construct new farm buildings, and pay down debt. At the same time, irreplaceable farmland is permanently protected for future generations. 

New York cannot afford dramatic cuts to a program that provides opportunities for local food production, protects natural resources and invests in the economy of rural communities. Unfortunately, proposed state budget cuts would prevent almost 90 percent of interested farmers from protecting their land this year. It is critical that state legislators restore funding to the Farmland Protection Program and the Environmental Protection Fund and invest in this important component of New York's economy.

With kind regards,

David Haight, New York Director
American Farmland Trust
112 Spring St., STE 207
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866