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Every year, America loses 1.2 million acres of farmland, much of it our best and most productive farmland near where most Americans live. In Maine and across the nation, AFT is a vital link between farmers, conservationists and policymakers, working to protect the best farmland, direct growth away from agricultural resources, provide healthy local food to all citizens, and help communities sustain local farms and farming.
On June 25th, over 350 people attended the first showing of Meet Your Farmer, a series of eight short films commissioned by Maine Farmland Trust to highlight the vibrant farm sector in Maine. The films feature the challenges and opportunities facing farms from around the state in a variety of sectors, including dairy, livestock, potatoes, vegetables and apple orchards. The films are available online and will be shown at additional theaters this summer and fall.
 Legislation recently enacted in Rhode Island gives the Rhode Island Attorney General new authority to enforce conservation easements, making Rhode Island the eighth state in the country to give its attorney general explicit enforcement power. The statute also permits courts to award attorney’s fees in easement enforcement proceedings, providing a potential avenue for the state and land trusts to recoup legal costs incurred while defending conservation easements against violations. Initiated by the Rhode Island Land Trust Council, the statute is expected to deter violations of easements, which can be an expensive enforcement problem for land trusts and other entities that hold easements.
This spring, Maine state legislators introduced bills featuring all ten policy recommendations outlined by Maine's Commission to Study the Protection of Farms and Farmland in a November 2008 report. AFT contributed to the report and applauds the enactment of four of the recommended steps into law including:
- A pilot agricultural district program: Public Act 356 authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture to design and implement a pilot program and to report to the Agriculture Committee on progress with the program by February 2011.
- Designation of “Farming for Maine” farms: This initiative will provide a way to publicly register and recognize local farms and farmland, to build community awareness of local agriculture and to help inform local land use plans and decisions.
- Monitoring impact of estate tax changes: The Commissioner of Agriculture and the State Tax Assessor are tasked with monitoring the impact estate tax provisions have on the state’s farmland base and recommending changes to encourage farmland retention.
- Encouraging better local land use decisions through farmland mapping: This provision requires that any proposed subdivision include a map of farmland parcels that are five acres or more and contain prime, statewide or locally important soils.
Initiatives underway in Vermont and New Hampshire are quantifying the economic impact of their states' farm and food sectors and identifying opportunities for future growth. Vermont's Farm to Plate initiative has drafted "20 Big Goals for 2020" based on months of public input and data collection; the 10-year strategic plan will be finalized by the end of the year. Home Grown, a soon to be released report from the University of New Hampshire, estimates the economic impact from NH's local food system and explores how an expansion of the system could spur job creation and economic growth.
A Northeast grocery chain has become the first retailer to join forces with the New England Dairy Promotion Board and New England Family Dairy Farms Cooperative to bring the concept of “fair trade” milk to consumers. Hannaford's 71 stores will promote the benefits of local dairy farms—including stewardship of the region’s farmland—and offer shoppers an opportunity to directly support dairy farmers through the “Keep Local Farms” dairy campaign. Cris Coffin, American Farmland Trust’s New England Director, is excited by the Hannaford announcement: “Educating shoppers about the value of our region’s dairy farmers will hopefully encourage them to donate to the campaign and help farmers receive a better price for their milk.”
Changes to Vermont’s "Current Use" Program—which helps promote the use of land for agriculture and forestry are likely to be considered early in the 2010 legislative session. In response to a challenge by the legislature to find ways to produce $1.6 million in savings or revenues through the program in FY2011, seven statewide farm and conservation organizations developed recommendations that are likely to form the basis for legislation debated this year. Recommendations include increasing the program’s dwelling exclusion for certain landowners, which would raise the needed state revenues.
Federal Farm Policy and the farm bill
What’s in the farm bill and why is it important? Find out what’s next for the farm bill and how we can make sure the legislation's promises are turned into programs on the ground. how much agriculture contributes to the state's economy.
More Maine News
Contact Us
New England Field Office
Cris Coffin, New England States Director
1 Short Street, Suite 2
Northampton, MA 01060-3952
(p)413-586-9330 ext. 29
(f)413-586-9332
ccoffin@farmland.org
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