$2.5 Million Land Conservation Bond Approved for November Ballot

In response to calls, emails and letters—including those from AFT—the General Assembly voted to continue Rhode Island's farmland protection and land conservation programs and place a $2.5 million bond referendum on November's ballot.

Please be sure to thank those state Representatives and Senators who supported the bond referendum, giving the state's voters the ability to decide the future of state's land conservation program.

Background>>

Green payments in new england

AFT has partnered with Tufts University in Boston to gain a better understanding of how the fledgling federal Conservation Security Program (CSP) is working in New England. The findings will be used to help AFT shape its framework for changes to CSP and any subsequent federal green payment programs. Under the direction of Tufts’ Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Tufts graduate students interviewed farmers in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont and Connecticut and developed case studies for how the program is currently working—or would work for those farms that are not yet eligible—for dairy, cranberry, potato, apple and both organic and conventional vegetable operations.

Suffield Planner Outlines Steps to Successful Farmland Preservation Programs

At the Southern New England Planner’s Conference held in Newport, Rhode Island, a session on farmland protection strategies concluded with Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Local Farmland Preservation Program [PDF, 123KB], a presentation by Phil Chester, Suffield (CT) town planner. Suffield has preserved a farm a year, or 400 acres of prime farmland, over the past five years, using municipal, federal, state and private funding. More Rhode Island success stories.

FederAl Farm Policy and The farm bill: what’s in it for Rhode Island ?

Energy and environmental policies are a priority for President Obama’s Administration. At the heart of these issues lies American farmland. Agriculture can be part of the solution if the correct policies are enacted. Read our 9 for ’09 policy recommendations and ask President Obama to engage agriculture in these critical issues.

• 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.
• See an in-depth look at Rhode Island's agricultural profile at a state and district level and learn how much agriculture contributes to Rhode Island's economy

Contact Us

New England Field Offices

Cris Coffin, New England Director
1 Short Street, Suite 2
Northampton, MA 01060-3952
(p) 413-586-9330 (f) 413-586-9332
ccoffin@farmland.org


Jiff Martin, New England Field Representative
775 Bloomfield Avenue
Windsor, CT  06095
(p) 860-683-4230 (f) 860-683-4275
jmartin@farmland.org