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A farm is lost to development every three days in New York. We're working across the state to protect family farms and farmland, help build farm-friendly communities, and make the local food and local farmland connection for all New Yorkers.
New York State's recently passed budget cuts farmland protection funding by 51 percent. Now the actual cash allocation may be cut in half as well, potentially leaving just over $5 million available for farmland protection this year. Currently the state has announced but not yet made good on $71.5 million for farm families to purchase development rights to their farms. On August 5th, American Farmland Trust brought farmers, local officials, land trust representatives and others to Albany to talk to Commissioner of Agriculture Patrick Hooker and key legislators about the hardships these cuts are causing for farmers and rural communities.
Read what the Times Union and the Yorktown Examiner [PDF] are reporting about the funding cuts.
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Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Vilsack and other senior representatives from federal agencies such as the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency visited the Hudson Valley last week for a public listening session on President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. Afterwards our New York State Director David Haight spoke to Secretary Vilsack at a panel presentation at Clermont Country Farmers Market, emphasizing that although New York’s seven million acres of farmland only produces enough food to feed 30 percent of the state’s population the state continues to lose farmland at a rate of one farm every three days.
Battenkill Fibers, located in the Upper Hudson Valley Town of Greenwich, will be opening for business this month and is already buying fleeces from regional sheep, goat, llama and alpaca farms. The mill offers custom processing as well as their own product line featuring 100 percent New York produced wool. The mill will also have a factory store on site. The operation was funded with a loan from the Washington County Local Development Corporation. “This is another way for farmers to add value to their products,” said mill owner Mary Jean Packer. “Such economic opportunities help farms stay in business.”
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New York State Director David Haight spoke to the state’s Council on Food Policy about the critical importance of farmland protection to the state’s food security at the Council’s summer meeting in Harlem. The Council makes policy recommendations to the Governor that ensure both the availability of fresh, nutritious and affordable food for all New Yorkers and a strong farm and food economy for New York State.
The Council’s recent meeting on the “New York Food System: Supply, Demand and Delivery,” [PDF] was one of the first times the Council heard directly about the critical importance of farmland protection to the long-term security of the state’s food supply.
A bill we sponsored to shorten the length of time it takes to complete state-funded farmland protection projects became law on May 25th. This legislation makes land trusts eligible to apply directly to the state’s Farmland Protection Program for purchase of development rights funding on the behalf of owners of farmland. Previously only municipalities and counties were able to apply for funding. These local governments frequently look to private land trusts for help to expedite the application and project completion process. “This legislation will help farmers protect their land more quickly,” said our New York Director David Haight, “It will also keep transparency and accountability in the process.”
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"The updated New York Agricultural Landowner Guide is a valuable land stewardship tool for farmers." - Lawrence E. Howard, Esq. of Shulman, Howard and McPherson, LLP, funder
American Farmland Trust’s updated 2010 New York Agricultural Landowner Guide is an indispensable tool for farmers and rural landowners trying to navigate the sometimes confusing array of public programs available to them. The guide describes over 60 public programs currently available to help farmers reduce property taxes, protect farmland from unplanned development, enhance economic viability, and generate alternative energy. “I don’t have a lot of time to research all of the programs available,” says Don Telaak, a dairy farmer from Little Valley, New York. “It’s great to have this publication with all of the information in one place. Researching all of these various programs is probably one of the more important things that can be done to help farmers improve their business.
Farmers, food advocates, environmentalists and local officials
came together in force for the No Farms No Food Rally at
the State
Capitol in Albany March 15th. Over 140 individual
participants, supported by 70 organizations, met with more
than 100 state legislators. Together, we spoke out for state programs that help protect farms in Long Island, the Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes and Western New York from becoming subdivisions, feed thousands of state residents in New York City, Buffalo and communities across the state with healthy foods grown in New York, help farmers keep our drinking water clean and sustain tens of thousands of jobs and economic opportunities at farms and food businesses.
Watch the video and slideshow on our blog!
American Farmland Trust is bringing a new program to New York to help farmers protect water quality. The BMP Challenge program will reduce financial risks for farmers that adopt conservation practices, such as reducing fertilizer use. Farmers will work with crop consultants to reduce fertilizer use on corn crops and be compensated for any potential decrease in production. American Farmland Trust has the funding to enroll up to 30 New York corn growers and up to 3,000 acres of cropland.
For more information about this Best Management Practices Challenge program, developed by American Farmland Trust and Agflex, and funded by the New York Farm Viability Institute and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, contact our Central New York Representative, Judy Wright, jlw4220@yahoo.com, (315) 730-4505.
New York Policy Update
The state of New York is at a pivotal time in its efforts to protect farmland and support the economic viability of New York’s farmers. In 2008, the most state farmland protection projects were pending in New York’s history. Fifty-two towns were awarded over $1 million in grants to develop the first municipal agricultural and farmland protection plans in New York. Eleven counties became eligible for the first funding in New York to update aging agricultural and farmland protection plans. While this was the highest level of farmland protection activity that New York has ever seen, there are significant threats to state farmland protection funding, and dairy farms across the state are suffering. We want to hear from you! What are the most important things that New York should do to protect its farmland?
The Edible Communities magazines are committed to sustaining unique local flavors and the economic viability of their communities – and connecting consumers with family farmers, growers, chefs, and food artisans. They understand the importance of affordable, fresh, healthful food and knowing where our food comes from. We thank the following Edibles for spreading our “No Farms No Food” message!
Focus on New York
Dairy farmers Jim and Marcia Masters permanently protected their 244-acre family farm last month. “My family has lived here for generations,” said Marcia. “Every winter the farm comes alive with the sound of kids sledding and the smells of baking from the kitchen. It’s a great place to raise a family.”
New York State’s Farmland Protection Program funded the purchase of development rights to the farm, located in the town of Marcellus in Onondaga County. The easement is the first to be acquired by the New York Agricultural Land Trust, which was founded by farmers and others engaged in agriculture with assistance from American Farmland Trust.
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Farmland Protection Funding Cuts Cause Hardship for Farmers
Vilsack Listens to the Hudson Valley Talk About the Great Outdoors
Battenkill Fibers Carding and Spinning Mill Opens for Business
NYALT Completes Its First Farmland Protection Project
