TROY-Rensselaer County has been chosen by the state for four farmland protection projects, with about 1,000 agricultural acres to be protected using $1.2 million in state funds for three farms, plus another $500,000 for a fourth farm that straddles Rensselaer and Washington counties.     

 

 Now county legislators on both sides of the aisle say they mean to continue their efforts to protect farmland in the southern part of the county.
      The announcement by the state is historic for the county because it doubles the amount of farm protection projects in the county, according to Republican Legislator Kenneth Herrington, who represents Brunswick, Pittstown and Schaghticoke.
      Before the announcement, the county had received funding for protection of eight farms totaling about 1,600 acres in Stephentown, Petersburgh, Schachticoke, Pittstown and Hoosick.
      Mr. Herrington was a prime sponsor of the county Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan, which helps coordinate applications to the state for protection of farm and agricultural properties.
      "This is tremendous news for the county and the agricultural community, and significantly boosts our efforts to protect farms and agricultural properties in the county," Mr. Herrington, chairman of the Legislature's Agriculture Committee, said in a press release.
      The state announced funding to protect farms in Petersburgh, Pittstown, Schaghticoke and Hoosick.
       "This announcement means we have significantly expanded farmland protection efforts in Rensselaer County and bodes well for the future of such efforts in southern Schodack and Nassau," said Republican Legislator Alex Shannon, who represents Schodack, Sand Lake and Nassau and is a member of the Legislature's Agriculture Committee and chairman of its Environmental Committee.
      Under the program, farmers and owners of agricultural properties agree to sell development rights to ensure the properties are kept in agricultural use. The landowner still retains the land, but receives state funds in exchange for not developing it. There is an extensive process to determine eligibility for the projects.
      Farms are cataloged, then applications are prepared and sent first to the Agricultural and Stewardship Association, then to Agricultural and Farmland and then to the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for funding consideration.
      The history of the farm, types of soils, attributes, the quality of the land for use by farming, development pressures and the willingness of farmers to sell their development rights are considered when applications are reviewed.
       "We have had a lot of success protecting farmland in northern and eastern Rensselaer County, including four successful applications just last month. We are very interested in seeing if it is possible to attract state funding to protect some farmland in southern Rensselaer County and we want to see more protection projects in that area of the county," said Mr. Shannon.
      "The Farmland Protection program is designed to help farmers who want to continue farming to stay in business and protect their land. There are real development pressures and overall difficulties facing farmers in southern Rensselaer County and we would love to help in the effort to protect farms in that area," said Republican Legislator Martin Reid, who also represents Schodack, Sand Lake and Nassau.
      "There are definitely properties in southern Rensselaer County that would be eligible for state protection funding. This is a very effective, voluntary program that I would encourage all of my fellow farmers to take a very serious look at," said Mr. Herrington.
      Democrat Keith Hammond, who represents East Greenbush, North Greenbush and Poestenkill, said as a legislator who has served on the Albany-Rensselaer County Agricultural Education Committee as well as the Agricultural Farmland Protection Board, he was especially pleased to learn that Rensselaer County has been selected for farmland protection.
      "This project doubles the amount of farm protection projects in the county and is a tremendous boost to our efforts to promote the agricultural industry and agritourism," he said in a press release.
      As part of Governor Eliot Spitzer's plan, $35 million will protect 13,330 acres of state farmland through the Agricultural and Farmland Protection program, marking the largest amount of protected land in the program's 11-year history.
      "As a former farmer, I know first-hand how difficult it is maintain a family farm as a viable economic operation," said Mr. Hammond. "The governor's announcement is good economic development news for our county.
      "With the 'buy local' movement growing, preservation of local farms is especially important. Local farms provide much-needed jobs, products and tourism venues. Preservation of our farmland also assures that Rensselaer County's unique charm will survive."
      Democratic Legislator Brian Zweig, who represents the same areas as Mr. Hammond, said, "When I was president of the Rensselaer Taconic Land Conservancy, we went to Mr. Herrington to encourage the county to develop its Agriculture Protection plan so that the county would be able to apply for development rights funds from the state.
       "As for the southern part of the county, we did not get applications from the Schodack area and this was always a source of frustration. My sense is that we have many farmers in the Schodack area for whom their land represents their retirement savings. With land values increasing in southern Rensselaer County, many farmers want to have the option of selling out so that they can generate enough money for a comfortable retirement."
      A total of $455,764 was awarded to the county which will partner with Agricultural Stewardship Association to protect Hooskip Farm, founded in 1962, a 336-acre dairy operation with 33% high quality soils, 1.5 miles of frontage along the Hoosick River, and an additional 371 acres in Vermont that was previously protected. Nearly 200 acres of the farm's woodlands are managed for timber, veneer logs and firewood, of which nearly 40,000 board feet was harvested to build the farm's machine shop.
      In Pittstown, $602,348 was allocated to the county which will partner with the association to protect the Cannon Cattle Ranch, founded in 1979, a 388-acre dairy operation with 71% high quality soils and frontage along Otter Creek and a tributary to Otter Creek. Both streams drain into the Tomhannock Reservoir, the largest of three reservoirs providing drinking water to the City of Troy and surrounding communities.
      In Schaghticoke $172,099 will go toward protecting the Robe-Jan Farm, founded in 1957, a 115-acre dairy farm with 75% high quality soils located in the headwaters and along Mill Hollow Brook and Kidney Creek, both tributaries of the Hudson River.
      In Washington County, in collaboration with Rensselaer County, $725,128 was awarded to protect the Clark Family Farm, founded in 1986, a 521-acre dairy and grain operation with 71% high quality soils and frontage along the Hoosick River. The farm adjoins two farms that are presently under contract to be protected and it also adjoins a 109-acre farm in Vermont that is also under contract to be protected.
      To contact reporter Kristin Shaw email kshaw@IndeNews.com