Spotlight on Virginia:

American Farmland Trust receives a $650,000 Grant to Enhance Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay

AFT recieved a $650,000 grant to support the Mid-Atlantic Clean Water Initiative which will implement Enhanced BMP challenge programs in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. 

AFT launched the Mid-Atlantic Clean Water Initiative to help farmers enhance their nutrient management and reduce high nutrient levels that impair local and regional water quality. The new project has started with a $650,000 Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The grant was part of a $5 million fund specifically for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.  By working with producers in the field and at the policy level, AFT hopes to reduce between 200,000 and 270,000 pounds of nitrogen and set the stage to expand the program in each state over three years.

More about the Mid-Atlantic Clean Water Initiative>>

Focus on Virgina

Albemarle County Hosts Celebration of Farmland Protection Milestones:

Thursday July 10th, Albemarle County’s Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) program hosted a celebration marking the first Virginia farm preserved with a combination of local and state funds from the Office of Farmland Preservation. 

In acquiring the easement on the 228 acre Clayton family farm, the county will have protected over 5,000 acres of working farm and forest land and 70,000 acres overall in conservation easements. 

>>More about the Clayton Family Farm

Governor Timothy M. Kaine led the celebration on Thursday, July 10, beginning at 9:45 a.m. at Beaver Creek Reservoir.

State officials including Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Haymore and Secretary Blackson were on hand, along with Kevin Schmidt, Director of the Office of Farmland Protection and former AFT staffer. According to Schmidt, 13 localities have signed their intergovernmental agreements along with Albemarle county and are now ready to receive a portion of the $4.25 million in matching funds the office has available.

State and Local PDR Guidelines

In hopes of saving the state’s dwindling farmland from development, Virginia agriculture officials issued guidelines for a model purchase of development rights (PDR) program. Also known as Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement Programs, PDR programs compensate farmers for the development value of their land in exchange for a binding agreement that their land will stay permanently available for agriculture.

• AFT and five other organizations commended the Virginia Senate and the Virginia House of Delegates for supporting a purchase of development rights study.
• In 2000, AFT was integral in the creation of the Virginia Agricultural Vitality Program, a state-level farmland protection program and Farm Link program.

A new farm bill: what’s in it for Virginia?

After years of work, we have a new 2008 Farm Bill. What does it mean for you and your community? From the foods we eat, to protecting farms from development, to helping keep our drinking water clean, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 has many programs that affect all of us everyday.

• What’s in the new farm bill and why is it important?
• Find out what’s next for the farm bill and how we can make sure the promises made in the legislation are turned into programs on the ground.
• Get an in-depth look at Virginia's agricultural profile from a state and district level including production and program information.

Contact Us
Jim Baird
Mid-Atlantic States Director
1200 18th Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
(p) 202-378-1235 (f) 202-659-8339
jbaird@farmland.org