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New York Legislative Session Comes to a Close with Wins for Farmland Protection
S. 7908/A. 11511 make land trusts eligible for annual funding of up to $50,000 per organization to work with local governments and farmland owners to develop farmland protection projects. Participating land trusts must have a farmer on their board of directors or have a process in place for getting a farmer on their board, and activities undertaken with these funds shall not be used in a manner that unreasonably restricts farm operations in contravention of New York State Agriculture and Markets Law. The passage of this legislation is an essential step toward closing projects funded by the state’s Farmland Protection Program in less than 2 years.
S.4333/A. 7361, legislation that would increase the maximum state share of farmland protection projects from 75 to 85 percent, failed to pass the Assembly this session. The Senate passed the bill again this year. The legislation would make more farmland protection projects possible in communities without funds to match a grant from the state’s Farmland Protection Program.
Thanks to the leadership of Senator Young, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, S. 5685, legislation creating a “working farmland tax credit” passed the Senate during the final days of the legislative session. The proposed Working Farmland Tax Credit is a refundable state income tax credit equal to the property taxes (county, town and school) paid on qualifying agricultural land that is committed to active agricultural use for at least eight years. It is estimated that approximately four million acres of land in New York meet the program’s qualifications. The Assembly failed to pass its version of the legislation, A. 8181.
The Bigger Better Bottle Bill, A. 8044 and S. 5850, passed in the Assembly, but failed in the Senate. This legislation proposes to expand nickel deposits to bottled water and other non-carbonated beverages to reduce litter while increasing state funding for environmental programs included in New York’s Environmental Protection Fund.
Picking up the pace for farmland protection
New York’s farmers and communities are ready for the state government to take a fresh look at the way it approaches farmland protection.
 A newly released report by AFT, titled Picking Up the Pace: A Road Map for Accelerating Farmland Protection in New York [PDF, 1.21MB], finds that the state loses about 10 times more farmland to development than it protects annually. Each year, 26,000 acres of farmland are developed in New York while the state’s Farmland Protection Program has protected 2,192 acres annually.
what you can do
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AFT's Farm & food Policy Campaign
American Farmland Trust is leading a campaign to strengthen the future of American agriculture—and expand benefits to the public—by transforming U.S. farm policy.
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Contact Us
Northeast Office
David Haight, New York Director
112 Spring Street, Suite 207
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
(p) 518-581-0078 (f) 518-581-0079
neaft@farmland.org
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