Lawmakers seek money to protect farmland (complete article from source)
Source: Star-Gazette.com, by Neil Chaffie
March 17, 2008
The town of Lodi in Seneca County is among those asking state lawmakers to consider making more money available for the Farmland Protection Program.
In letters to Sen. Michael F. Nozzolio, R-54th, and Assemblyman Brian Kolb, R-129th, the Town Board said the state has done much to "accelerate the protection of working farms, but there is still more work to do."
The Town Board claims in its letter that the amount of protected farmland in the Empire State is very low.
In the 11-state northeast region, New York ranks near the bottom when it comes to protected acreage, the board contends.
Since 1966, the letter continues, more than $500 million worth of farmland protection projects in 26 counties fell by the wayside largely because of insufficient funding.
The letter urges the lawmakers to increase funding to $35 million.
More money, $300 million, is also sought for the Environmental Protection Fund, and four additional staffers are sought to administer the Farmland Protection Program within the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
State lawmakers adopted a measure in 2005 making towns eligible for state grants to develop local agricultural and farmland protection programs.
Earlier, legislation had extended the program only to counties, with 48 of them taking advantage of the program and acquiring grants of up to $50,000 each.
Towns are eligible for grants of up to $25,000, or 75 percent of the cost of developing a plan, whichever is less.
The plan would be required to identify areas where it intends to support agriculture, document the benefits provided by local farms in a community, describe the threats to productive farmland and outline the activities and strategies supporting local farms.
"This legislation provides incentives for municipalities to consider the future of agriculture in their jurisdictions and develop pro-active strategies to support the agricultural industry and protect farmland," the American Farmland Trust notes on its Web site.
The legislation supports smart growth initiatives around the state, conserves agricultural resources and supports the agricultural economy, "key components of protecting the quality of life in many New York communities," the trust states.
Farms are credited, the farmland trust adds, with providing cover for wildlife, protecting wetlands and watersheds and maintaining air quality while also having a major role in meeting the food needs of the nation.
The farmland trust said a concern it shares with those in the agricultural community is the steady loss of farmland to developers and others.
For more information, log onto www.farmland.org or contact the state Department of Agriculture and Markets at (518) 457-2713.
Neil Chaffie covers northern and eastern Schuyler County in his Seneca North column. Contact him at P.O. Box 543, Ovid, NY 14521; 607/869-5049; or e-mail neilchaffie@yahoo.com.
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