When American Farmland Trust started 30 years ago, farmland protection was a new idea with few active efforts. Now, it is a national movement with public and private programs having protected over 3 million acres. During this time, American Farmland Trust has supported these growing efforts across the country by sharing resources, researching effective strategies, and guiding new conservation programs. This article highlights 10 innovative people, places, and partnerships making a difference in farmland protection.
The document discusses the successful preservation of the Gilham Butte tract of old growth forest through cooperation between environmental groups, government agencies, and private individuals. It was resolved amicably without large protests or lawsuits. The tract provides an important wildlife corridor and protects salmon streams. Though smaller than the nearby Headwaters Forest, Gilham Butte may be more ecologically important as a link between conservation areas. Its preservation could help rare species like the pine marten survive. The editorial praises all parties involved for achieving a mutually satisfactory outcome.
The Piedmont Environmental Council was created in 1972 to help communities respond to changes and development pressures. Since then, over 400,000 acres in the Virginia Piedmont region have been permanently protected through conservation easements on private land, more than doubling the size of Shenandoah National Park. In 2018, over 7,700 additional acres were protected through 60 new easements. The PEC works to engage citizens, educate about conservation issues, and empower local leaders to develop strategies that support conservation and preserve the Piedmont region.
The document discusses 11 ideas for improving agriculture on Maui, including establishing regional composting sites, re-building depleted soils through crop rotation and cover crops, allowing edible landscaping, protecting against invasive species, reforestation of native hardwoods, developing a bamboo industry, legalizing industrial hemp, providing incentives for farming and subsistence agriculture, restoring Hawaiian fishponds, developing aquaponics systems, and fairly allocating water resources between agricultural users. It also provides background information on the West Maui and East Maui irrigation systems.
AMERICA’S AGRICULTURAL LAND IS AT RISK Fertile soils take thousands of years to develop. Creating them takes a combination of climate, geology, biology and good luck. So far, no one has found a way to manufacture them. Thus, productive agricultural land is a finite and irreplaceable natural resource. America’s agricultural land provides the nation —and world—with an unparalleled abundance of food and fiber products.
Mina ESTEGHAMAT "Reviving Indigenous Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in cus...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
The document discusses initiatives by the Abolhassani nomadic pastoralist community in Iran to cope with drought through local ecological management and indigenous knowledge. [1] The community has faced increasing droughts due to climate change that have negatively impacted livelihoods. [2] However, the community has adapted using strategies like water storage, adjusting livestock numbers and migration patterns, renting farmland, and communally managing rangelands and water sources. [3] The document recommends supporting these indigenous communities and knowledge systems, and recognizing their rights over ancestral lands.
This document provides information about conservation projects and partnerships in Louisiana. It discusses the restoration of wetland habitat on the banks of the Red River through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. This involved enrolling 410 acres of pastureland owned by Ned Henry Jr. into wetland easements and planting trees to create wildlife habitat. It also features a column about Phillip Sneed, a cattle farmer in Sabine Parish who uses soil testing and conservation practices like fertilizing and planting clover to maintain healthy soils and support his bermudagrass pastures.
Urban agriculture and local food production are increasing as more sustainable alternatives to industrial agriculture. Growing food in and around cities can help address issues of long-distance transportation, waste management, and reliance on fossil fuels. While large-scale farming will not be possible in cities, opportunities exist to expand production of fresh produce using underutilized spaces like rooftops, vacant lots, community gardens, and aquaponics systems. With the right support, urban agriculture could provide a meaningful source of local food and address sustainability issues around current food systems.
The document discusses the successful preservation of the Gilham Butte tract of old growth forest through cooperation between environmental groups, government agencies, and private individuals. It was resolved amicably without large protests or lawsuits. The tract provides an important wildlife corridor and protects salmon streams. Though smaller than the nearby Headwaters Forest, Gilham Butte may be more ecologically important as a link between conservation areas. Its preservation could help rare species like the pine marten survive. The editorial praises all parties involved for achieving a mutually satisfactory outcome.
The Piedmont Environmental Council was created in 1972 to help communities respond to changes and development pressures. Since then, over 400,000 acres in the Virginia Piedmont region have been permanently protected through conservation easements on private land, more than doubling the size of Shenandoah National Park. In 2018, over 7,700 additional acres were protected through 60 new easements. The PEC works to engage citizens, educate about conservation issues, and empower local leaders to develop strategies that support conservation and preserve the Piedmont region.
The document discusses 11 ideas for improving agriculture on Maui, including establishing regional composting sites, re-building depleted soils through crop rotation and cover crops, allowing edible landscaping, protecting against invasive species, reforestation of native hardwoods, developing a bamboo industry, legalizing industrial hemp, providing incentives for farming and subsistence agriculture, restoring Hawaiian fishponds, developing aquaponics systems, and fairly allocating water resources between agricultural users. It also provides background information on the West Maui and East Maui irrigation systems.
AMERICA’S AGRICULTURAL LAND IS AT RISK Fertile soils take thousands of years to develop. Creating them takes a combination of climate, geology, biology and good luck. So far, no one has found a way to manufacture them. Thus, productive agricultural land is a finite and irreplaceable natural resource. America’s agricultural land provides the nation —and world—with an unparalleled abundance of food and fiber products.
Mina ESTEGHAMAT "Reviving Indigenous Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in cus...Global Risk Forum GRFDavos
The document discusses initiatives by the Abolhassani nomadic pastoralist community in Iran to cope with drought through local ecological management and indigenous knowledge. [1] The community has faced increasing droughts due to climate change that have negatively impacted livelihoods. [2] However, the community has adapted using strategies like water storage, adjusting livestock numbers and migration patterns, renting farmland, and communally managing rangelands and water sources. [3] The document recommends supporting these indigenous communities and knowledge systems, and recognizing their rights over ancestral lands.
This document provides information about conservation projects and partnerships in Louisiana. It discusses the restoration of wetland habitat on the banks of the Red River through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. This involved enrolling 410 acres of pastureland owned by Ned Henry Jr. into wetland easements and planting trees to create wildlife habitat. It also features a column about Phillip Sneed, a cattle farmer in Sabine Parish who uses soil testing and conservation practices like fertilizing and planting clover to maintain healthy soils and support his bermudagrass pastures.
Urban agriculture and local food production are increasing as more sustainable alternatives to industrial agriculture. Growing food in and around cities can help address issues of long-distance transportation, waste management, and reliance on fossil fuels. While large-scale farming will not be possible in cities, opportunities exist to expand production of fresh produce using underutilized spaces like rooftops, vacant lots, community gardens, and aquaponics systems. With the right support, urban agriculture could provide a meaningful source of local food and address sustainability issues around current food systems.
Sustainable? agriculture and water in California DavidBainbridge5
California has some serious water supply problems. Use in many areas exceeds annual rainfall. Hundreds of thousands of acres will be abandoned. What can be done?
This document discusses urban farming and provides resources for urban farmers. It describes how urban farming is gaining popularity as a way to address food insecurity and community development. Some of the benefits mentioned include improving food access, making neighborhoods safer, and boosting local economies. The document then provides a list of free publications and resources available from ATTRA on topics related to urban agriculture.
Farm to Market by Mary Dennis, Civic LandscapeBill Dennis
Looking at the requirements for agriculture at all urban to rural transect zones, from farm to market. Presentation given by Mary Dennis, Civic Landscape at the CNU-NE Sustainability Summit in New Haven Spring 2011.
Plan b no bs f. i. avert mass poverty increase– feed 8 billion well. c9 v1Start Loving
This document discusses strategies for increasing food production efficiency to address rising global population and food demand. It recommends breeding more drought and cold tolerant crops, increasing multi-cropping, additional fertilization in Africa, securing land ownership, raising irrigation efficiency, moving to more efficient animal protein production, aquaculture such as fish polyculture, and using crops and land more productively.
The document discusses Senator Dianne Feinstein's introduction in December 2009 of the California Desert Protection Act of 2010 (CDPA10). Key points:
1) The CDPA10 aims to further protect California's desert landscape by designating new national monuments, wilderness areas, and protecting wildlife corridors between existing protected lands.
2) It started as a simpler bill but grew more complex as provisions were added, such as a new "Sand to Snow" National Monument linking two existing protected areas.
3) The bill designates the "Mojave Trails" National Monument, protecting the historic Route 66 corridor through the Mojave desert and vital wildlife migration routes. It also addresses renewable
Sowing a new future for farmers and our planet –
A simple local story about the power of our British farmland to sequester carbon, increase food supply and bring people together.
The USDA Forest Service manages over 192 million acres of national forests and grasslands. In addition to providing timber and other traditional forest uses, the Forest Service focuses on recreation, conservation of native species and clean water, community engagement, disaster response, fire management, research, wilderness protection, and celebrating America's national heritage. The Forest Service works to balance all the values and uses that Americans want from their public lands.
This document provides information about Long Beach Grows (LBGrows), a non-profit organization that promotes urban agriculture and food security in Long Beach, California. LBGrows advocates for a just and equitable local food system. Their mission is to educate the community about green, healthy, and sustainable urban agriculture practices that ensure local food security. The document discusses various topics that threaten food security such as overpopulation, monocropping, genetically modified organisms, climate change, and other issues. It emphasizes the importance of biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and environmentally sustainable practices to achieving food security.
This document summarizes:
1) Prairies in Minnesota are being promoted for economic development through tourism initiatives like the Prairie Passage route from northwest to southeast Minnesota.
2) The Prairie Passage program aims to increase awareness of prairie remnants and heritage through signs and encouraging community involvement.
3) Local communities along the route in Minnesota are working to promote prairies and the Prairie Passage initiative to tourists.
A Brief Look at the Conservation Reserve ProgramJimmy Winemiller
A Florida real estate developer, Jimmy Winemiller maintains a portfolio that includes several large agricultural properties in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and California. Jimmy Winemiller serves as an agent for Brevard Harbor Edge, LLC, in Martin County, Florida, and previously owned 5,800 acres of river-bottom farmland near Marksville, Louisiana.
The Marksville plot was eventually sold as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), both of which are federal retirement programs created in the 1980s to convert agricultural lands from crop production to soil-conserving uses. A part of the Farm Bill, the CRP was established in 1985 to address poor water quality and soil erosion, which were negatively impacting many farming regions. The program paid farmers to retire unused land from production for 10 to 15 years, giving the soil and wildlife habitats the opportunity to recover.
Currently the largest federally funded conservation program, the CRP was expanded in the 1990s and 2000s. As of 2019, CRP acreage exceeded 20 million acres.
The document discusses the 90th anniversary of Save-the-Redwoods League, an organization established in 1918 to protect coastal redwood forests in Northern California. It describes how three conservationists witnessed the destruction of ancient redwood trees from logging and helped found the League. Since then, the League has assisted in protecting over 177,000 acres of redwood forests and establishing 51 state parks and reserves for public enjoyment. The League continues working to identify and protect the remaining 15,000 acres of old-growth redwoods through its Master Plan for the Redwoods conservation strategy.
The document summarizes the World's Largest Maize Ear Contest held annually in Jala, Nayarit, Mexico. It discusses the author's role as a judge at the 2015 contest and provides details about the event. Contestants from the town and surrounding areas bring their largest maize ears to be measured. The contest is a popular local tradition that celebrates the town's culture and maize diversity. The winning ear for 2015 measured 44 centimeters long.
The document discusses the history and development of Rainforestation Farming in the Philippines as a strategy for corporate social responsibility and reforestation. It began as a collaboration between Visayas State University and GTZ in Germany, and was later adopted by the Philippine DENR. It also outlines issues around land use, intensification of rice production, agriculture in uplands, and the impacts of economic development including deforestation, water pollution, pesticide use, climate change, and child labor. The document advocates strengthening environmental education and recognizes roles of the private sector and policies like the Corporate Social Responsibility Act of 2009 in promoting sustainable development.
Natl council for science and the environment 180112 c_hausmannCGIAR
The document discusses the need to sustainably intensify global food production to feed a growing population. It notes that food production must increase by 70% by 2050 to feed over 9 billion people. This will require doubling productivity in many areas through more efficient use of land, water, labor, and investment while minimizing environmental impacts. The concept of "sustainable intensification" is introduced to meet new imperatives of producing more and better quality food using fewer resources and less pollution. Achieving this goal will require strategic decisions and increased investment in agriculture research, technology, infrastructure, and extension services, especially in developing countries where yields currently lag behind.
This document provides an overview of wind power development in Maine and Maine Audubon's position on wind power siting. It discusses two wind power projects - the Stetson Mountain wind farm, which Maine Audubon supports, and the proposed expansion of the Kibby Mountain wind farm, where Audubon believes some turbines would encroach on sensitive bird habitat. The organization advocates for wind power that avoids harming vulnerable wildlife and habitats.
Agricultural biodiversity – the variability of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, arthropods, microbes and other species that contribute directly or indirectly, to food production – is fundamental for the long-term sustainability and resilience of agriculture.
Most research in recent decades has been concerned with increasing production through the increased use of external inputs and management of production, in ways that render agriculture more uniform. These approaches are increasingly recognized as having significant adverse consequences including land degradation, pollution and the loss of ecosystem services.
Alternative approaches are urgently needed to sustainably feed the growing population and adapt to global challenges such as climate change.
Bioversity International has been at the forefront of global scientific efforts to collect, conserve and use agricultural biodiversity for more than 35 years.
Read more about Bioversity International’s research-for-development portfolio and strategic priorities.
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research/
Working to Preserve Farm, Forest and Ranch Lands provides information to help military installations partner with local communities to protect farmlands, forests, and ranchlands surrounding bases. Rapid development near military installations can limit training operations and compromise readiness. Maintaining working lands and open spaces around bases through conservation easements and local land use policies helps secure perimeters while sustaining local economies and environment. The guide outlines federal and state programs to fund the purchase of conservation easements and recommends partnering with landowners, agricultural groups, land trusts, and local governments to preserve compatible land uses that buffer bases from urban encroachment.
New York is losing farmland at an unsustainable rate, threatening the state's food security, economy, and environment. The state's Farmland Protection Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Fund, has successfully protected over 300 farms and 72,000 acres but was cut 83% in funding between 2008-2010. As a result, the program has ground to a halt, leaving 61 farm families awaiting payment for conservation easements. To address this crisis, New York must restore funding to the Farmland Protection Program, complete existing easement projects, and strengthen incentives and capacity for ongoing farmland conservation.
Presentation from Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) on Local and Regional Food Systems featured in an American Farmland Trust webinar on the farm bill in the Northeast on December 19, 2011.
The document summarizes a project working with farmers in East Central Illinois to adopt nutrient management practices through partnerships and funding from various organizations. The project uses EQIP funding to promote practices like nutrient management, cover crops, and drainage water management. It also establishes a BMP Challenge to encourage reduced tillage, nutrient management, and other practices. Water quality is monitored through drainage tile and surface water sampling. GIS mapping tracks cropping history, soils, and conservation practices in the watershed. The Cooperative Conservation Program Initiative leverages resources for targeted conservation benefit and learning lessons.
This document highlights several New York State farms that have been protected through the Farmland Protection Program. It describes each farm's agricultural operations and the number of acres protected. The farmers explain why they chose to enroll in the program to keep their land in agriculture and preserve the rural character of their communities for future generations. In total, over 10,000 acres on 27 farms across the state have been conserved through partnerships between farmers and county and local governments.
Sustainable? agriculture and water in California DavidBainbridge5
California has some serious water supply problems. Use in many areas exceeds annual rainfall. Hundreds of thousands of acres will be abandoned. What can be done?
This document discusses urban farming and provides resources for urban farmers. It describes how urban farming is gaining popularity as a way to address food insecurity and community development. Some of the benefits mentioned include improving food access, making neighborhoods safer, and boosting local economies. The document then provides a list of free publications and resources available from ATTRA on topics related to urban agriculture.
Farm to Market by Mary Dennis, Civic LandscapeBill Dennis
Looking at the requirements for agriculture at all urban to rural transect zones, from farm to market. Presentation given by Mary Dennis, Civic Landscape at the CNU-NE Sustainability Summit in New Haven Spring 2011.
Plan b no bs f. i. avert mass poverty increase– feed 8 billion well. c9 v1Start Loving
This document discusses strategies for increasing food production efficiency to address rising global population and food demand. It recommends breeding more drought and cold tolerant crops, increasing multi-cropping, additional fertilization in Africa, securing land ownership, raising irrigation efficiency, moving to more efficient animal protein production, aquaculture such as fish polyculture, and using crops and land more productively.
The document discusses Senator Dianne Feinstein's introduction in December 2009 of the California Desert Protection Act of 2010 (CDPA10). Key points:
1) The CDPA10 aims to further protect California's desert landscape by designating new national monuments, wilderness areas, and protecting wildlife corridors between existing protected lands.
2) It started as a simpler bill but grew more complex as provisions were added, such as a new "Sand to Snow" National Monument linking two existing protected areas.
3) The bill designates the "Mojave Trails" National Monument, protecting the historic Route 66 corridor through the Mojave desert and vital wildlife migration routes. It also addresses renewable
Sowing a new future for farmers and our planet –
A simple local story about the power of our British farmland to sequester carbon, increase food supply and bring people together.
The USDA Forest Service manages over 192 million acres of national forests and grasslands. In addition to providing timber and other traditional forest uses, the Forest Service focuses on recreation, conservation of native species and clean water, community engagement, disaster response, fire management, research, wilderness protection, and celebrating America's national heritage. The Forest Service works to balance all the values and uses that Americans want from their public lands.
This document provides information about Long Beach Grows (LBGrows), a non-profit organization that promotes urban agriculture and food security in Long Beach, California. LBGrows advocates for a just and equitable local food system. Their mission is to educate the community about green, healthy, and sustainable urban agriculture practices that ensure local food security. The document discusses various topics that threaten food security such as overpopulation, monocropping, genetically modified organisms, climate change, and other issues. It emphasizes the importance of biodiversity, soil and water conservation, and environmentally sustainable practices to achieving food security.
This document summarizes:
1) Prairies in Minnesota are being promoted for economic development through tourism initiatives like the Prairie Passage route from northwest to southeast Minnesota.
2) The Prairie Passage program aims to increase awareness of prairie remnants and heritage through signs and encouraging community involvement.
3) Local communities along the route in Minnesota are working to promote prairies and the Prairie Passage initiative to tourists.
A Brief Look at the Conservation Reserve ProgramJimmy Winemiller
A Florida real estate developer, Jimmy Winemiller maintains a portfolio that includes several large agricultural properties in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and California. Jimmy Winemiller serves as an agent for Brevard Harbor Edge, LLC, in Martin County, Florida, and previously owned 5,800 acres of river-bottom farmland near Marksville, Louisiana.
The Marksville plot was eventually sold as part of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Wetland Reserve Program (WRP), both of which are federal retirement programs created in the 1980s to convert agricultural lands from crop production to soil-conserving uses. A part of the Farm Bill, the CRP was established in 1985 to address poor water quality and soil erosion, which were negatively impacting many farming regions. The program paid farmers to retire unused land from production for 10 to 15 years, giving the soil and wildlife habitats the opportunity to recover.
Currently the largest federally funded conservation program, the CRP was expanded in the 1990s and 2000s. As of 2019, CRP acreage exceeded 20 million acres.
The document discusses the 90th anniversary of Save-the-Redwoods League, an organization established in 1918 to protect coastal redwood forests in Northern California. It describes how three conservationists witnessed the destruction of ancient redwood trees from logging and helped found the League. Since then, the League has assisted in protecting over 177,000 acres of redwood forests and establishing 51 state parks and reserves for public enjoyment. The League continues working to identify and protect the remaining 15,000 acres of old-growth redwoods through its Master Plan for the Redwoods conservation strategy.
The document summarizes the World's Largest Maize Ear Contest held annually in Jala, Nayarit, Mexico. It discusses the author's role as a judge at the 2015 contest and provides details about the event. Contestants from the town and surrounding areas bring their largest maize ears to be measured. The contest is a popular local tradition that celebrates the town's culture and maize diversity. The winning ear for 2015 measured 44 centimeters long.
The document discusses the history and development of Rainforestation Farming in the Philippines as a strategy for corporate social responsibility and reforestation. It began as a collaboration between Visayas State University and GTZ in Germany, and was later adopted by the Philippine DENR. It also outlines issues around land use, intensification of rice production, agriculture in uplands, and the impacts of economic development including deforestation, water pollution, pesticide use, climate change, and child labor. The document advocates strengthening environmental education and recognizes roles of the private sector and policies like the Corporate Social Responsibility Act of 2009 in promoting sustainable development.
Natl council for science and the environment 180112 c_hausmannCGIAR
The document discusses the need to sustainably intensify global food production to feed a growing population. It notes that food production must increase by 70% by 2050 to feed over 9 billion people. This will require doubling productivity in many areas through more efficient use of land, water, labor, and investment while minimizing environmental impacts. The concept of "sustainable intensification" is introduced to meet new imperatives of producing more and better quality food using fewer resources and less pollution. Achieving this goal will require strategic decisions and increased investment in agriculture research, technology, infrastructure, and extension services, especially in developing countries where yields currently lag behind.
This document provides an overview of wind power development in Maine and Maine Audubon's position on wind power siting. It discusses two wind power projects - the Stetson Mountain wind farm, which Maine Audubon supports, and the proposed expansion of the Kibby Mountain wind farm, where Audubon believes some turbines would encroach on sensitive bird habitat. The organization advocates for wind power that avoids harming vulnerable wildlife and habitats.
Agricultural biodiversity – the variability of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, arthropods, microbes and other species that contribute directly or indirectly, to food production – is fundamental for the long-term sustainability and resilience of agriculture.
Most research in recent decades has been concerned with increasing production through the increased use of external inputs and management of production, in ways that render agriculture more uniform. These approaches are increasingly recognized as having significant adverse consequences including land degradation, pollution and the loss of ecosystem services.
Alternative approaches are urgently needed to sustainably feed the growing population and adapt to global challenges such as climate change.
Bioversity International has been at the forefront of global scientific efforts to collect, conserve and use agricultural biodiversity for more than 35 years.
Read more about Bioversity International’s research-for-development portfolio and strategic priorities.
http://www.bioversityinternational.org/research/
Working to Preserve Farm, Forest and Ranch Lands provides information to help military installations partner with local communities to protect farmlands, forests, and ranchlands surrounding bases. Rapid development near military installations can limit training operations and compromise readiness. Maintaining working lands and open spaces around bases through conservation easements and local land use policies helps secure perimeters while sustaining local economies and environment. The guide outlines federal and state programs to fund the purchase of conservation easements and recommends partnering with landowners, agricultural groups, land trusts, and local governments to preserve compatible land uses that buffer bases from urban encroachment.
New York is losing farmland at an unsustainable rate, threatening the state's food security, economy, and environment. The state's Farmland Protection Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Fund, has successfully protected over 300 farms and 72,000 acres but was cut 83% in funding between 2008-2010. As a result, the program has ground to a halt, leaving 61 farm families awaiting payment for conservation easements. To address this crisis, New York must restore funding to the Farmland Protection Program, complete existing easement projects, and strengthen incentives and capacity for ongoing farmland conservation.
Presentation from Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) on Local and Regional Food Systems featured in an American Farmland Trust webinar on the farm bill in the Northeast on December 19, 2011.
The document summarizes a project working with farmers in East Central Illinois to adopt nutrient management practices through partnerships and funding from various organizations. The project uses EQIP funding to promote practices like nutrient management, cover crops, and drainage water management. It also establishes a BMP Challenge to encourage reduced tillage, nutrient management, and other practices. Water quality is monitored through drainage tile and surface water sampling. GIS mapping tracks cropping history, soils, and conservation practices in the watershed. The Cooperative Conservation Program Initiative leverages resources for targeted conservation benefit and learning lessons.
This document highlights several New York State farms that have been protected through the Farmland Protection Program. It describes each farm's agricultural operations and the number of acres protected. The farmers explain why they chose to enroll in the program to keep their land in agriculture and preserve the rural character of their communities for future generations. In total, over 10,000 acres on 27 farms across the state have been conserved through partnerships between farmers and county and local governments.
Gary Kleppel, Professor and Director, Biodiversity Conservation and Policy Pr...American Farmland Trust
Workshop 1B presentation "What’s In It for Us? Motivating Institutions to Buy Locally" from November 15, 2012 Harvesting Opportunities in New York conference.
Presentation from Workshop 3C
Using 21st Century Communication Tools to Build a Movement at November 15, 2012 Harvesting Opportunities in New York conference.
The document is a newsletter from the Georgia-Alabama Land Trust that discusses the organization's mission to protect land through conservation easements and fee simple acquisition. It provides updates on protected lands across Georgia and Alabama, introduces landowners who have donated conservation easements, describes efforts to restore sensitive habitats, and recognizes contributions from board members and donors that help advance the organization's land protection work.
2014-11 Sutter County Fedora Farm Ag Conservation EasementColeen Morehead
The California Department of Conservation (DOC), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust have created an agricultural conservation easement on the Fedora Farm in Sutter County to permanently preserve the land for agriculture and prevent development. The easement protects 376 acres of the Fedora family's 475-acre property that has been farmed by generations of the family since the late 1800s. The agreement will keep the prime farmland in agricultural production and preserve the farm's historical use, while also providing habitat protection in the area.
The 32nd Annual EcoFarm Conference brought together farmers, scientists, activists, and entrepreneurs interested in more sustainable food systems. Over the course of sessions, topics included organic farming techniques, climate-friendly agriculture, farmer training programs, and building relationships between farmers and chefs. Attendees learned about innovative approaches like using cover crops, biochar, and edible landscaping to advance ecological and economic resilience in agriculture.
This document discusses the roles of different agencies in managing wildfires in California's 33 million acres of forest lands. It notes that local, state, and federal agencies must collaborate on fire prevention and suppression efforts. At the local level, 134 Fire Safe Councils work to reduce wildfire risk through fuel reduction and planning. Local fire protection districts provide emergency services. CAL FIRE coordinates statewide and is the primary responder to fires. Federal agencies like the USFS and BLM manage forests on federal lands and coordinate with CAL FIRE. Managing fires requires interagency cooperation as fires know no jurisdictional boundaries.
This document provides an overview of Bundoran Farm, a 2,300 acre property in Albemarle County, Virginia. The farm contains productive pastureland and orchards, mature forests, streams, ponds, and historic buildings. It has been carefully stewarded for decades to preserve the landscape and habitat. The vision for the property is to create a preservation community with limited residential development that maintains the working farm and protects environmental and agricultural resources through conservation easements.
This document provides a brief history of Bundoran Farm, a 2,300 acre property in Albemarle County, Virginia. It describes how the land was likely cultivated by the indigenous Monacan people prior to European settlement. Early settlers grew tobacco but lacked understanding of sustainable farming practices. The land is now ideal for apple orchards and pasturelands. Bundoran Farm has been carefully stewarded for decades through sustainable management of forests, pastures, and orchards.
This document provides an overview of Bundoran Farm, a 2,300 acre property in Albemarle County, Virginia. The farm contains productive pastureland and orchards, mature forests, streams, ponds, and historic buildings. The property has been carefully stewarded for decades through sustainable agricultural and forestry practices. The document discusses plans to establish a new type of rural community on the farm that balances limited residential development with long-term protection of the majority of the farm's agricultural and environmental resources through conservation easements.
The document summarizes the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which was caused by years of severe drought that destroyed crops and exposed dry topsoil to powerful winds. Millions of tons of topsoil blew eastward, depositing sediment as far away as the Atlantic Ocean. In response, the Soil Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service) was established in 1935 to address soil erosion and conservation. The document then provides examples of dust storms in 1934 South Dakota and 2011 Arizona to illustrate that dust storms remain an issue. It outlines the NRCS approach of Avoiding, Controlling, and Trapping pollutants using various conservation practices and highlights New Jersey's 2014 Soil Health Initiative promoting the use of cover crops.
This document discusses ways for individuals to get involved in wetland restoration. It encourages learning about wetland threats, making environmentally-friendly choices, advocating for wetland protection on social media and in the community, and taking bold actions like volunteering for cleanup events or restoration projects. Working together, individuals, governments, organizations and others can help restore degraded wetlands and the benefits they provide.
The document summarizes the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon's (CTWSRO) experience acquiring and managing lands for mitigation through the Bonneville Power Administration's Willamette Basin Wildlife Mitigation Program. Specifically, it discusses four areas totaling over 35,000 acres that have been acquired and are managed by CTWSRO for wildlife mitigation. It outlines CTWSRO's mission and goals in partnering with BPA on the mitigation program to acquire ecologically beneficial lands and provide cultural resources and harvest opportunities. Upcoming plans include continuing to build partnerships to actively pursue additional properties that would benefit the mitigation program.
The document discusses various topics related to ecological restoration including:
1) Ecological restoration aims to reverse degradation and reestablish ecosystems, though returning to the original condition is rarely possible. Common restoration methods include reintroduction of species, remediation of pollution, and reclamation of degraded sites.
2) Examples of restoration projects include restoring forests in Vermont, prairies in Wisconsin and Oklahoma, and wetlands in Colorado and the Everglades. The Bermuda cahow bird was reestablished through protection programs.
3) Factors like fire and grazing by animals like bison are important for maintaining certain ecosystems like oak savannas and prairies but require restoration efforts to reestablish.
2018 Open Space Conference - The Importance of Working Lands in a Changing WorldOpenSpaceCouncil
*Please note that animations in this presentations are not visible when viewed through Slideshare.
- Kara Heckert, California State Director, American Farmland Trust
- Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Jamison Watts, Executive Director, Marin Agricultural Land Trust
- Loren Poncia, Owner and Producer, Stemple Creek Ranch
These panelists spoke at the 2018 Open Space Conference - Conservation in a Time of Change - on May 10, 2018 at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA. More info on the website: http://openspacecouncil.org/community-events/conference/
Amazon Conservation Association Annual Report 2012svallejon
The document summarizes the work of the Amazon Conservation Association (ACA) in 2012. ACA worked to establish new protected areas totaling over 46,000 acres and lay the groundwork to protect nearly 500,000 additional acres. ACA also established a $1 million fund to protect the Los Amigos Conservation Concession. ACA expanded scientific research, reforestation efforts, and outreach programs with local communities. Collectively, ACA's efforts in 2012 helped advance their mission to conserve biodiversity and improve livelihoods in the Amazon region where the Andes meet the rainforest.
Growing Natural Capital to Develop Resilient Dryland Farm Landscapes - New Ze...Fujita64g
Farmers in the Starborough Flaxbourne region of New Zealand are developing more resilient farm landscapes through sustainable management practices. The Starborough Flaxbourne Soil Conservation Group was formed when farmers realized current practices were unsustainable due to drought and erosion. The group worked with farmers to develop new strategies including matching livestock and feed production to climate and soils, establishing shelterbelts and native vegetation, reducing grazing pressure, and creating farm reserves. These practices aim to grow natural capital through increased plant and tree cover while maintaining viable farming operations.
Farm Conservation Communities aim to preserve farmland and revitalize rural areas. Most farmers are over 65, few under 35, and 75% have no successor. This threatens farmland as over 600 million US/Canadian acres will change hands in 20 years. Farm Conservation Communities involve moving communities to farms, increasing rural economic activity and supporting new farmers while preserving landscapes. Examples include developments with farms as amenities that realize premium lot prices. Conservation farming markets could infuse $60 million annually into PEI's $300 million food economy if local food purchases increased 20%.
The document discusses the concepts and goals of ecological restoration. It provides examples of restoration projects including restoring forests, prairies, wetlands, and bodies of water like the Everglades and Chesapeake Bay. Restoration aims to reverse degradation and reestablish ecosystems by removing stressors, controlling invasives, and replanting native species.
This proposal requests funding from the Bureau of Land Management to support forest management efforts on both public and private lands. The objectives are to provide training for foresters, address issues like wildfires and endangered species, and support regional forestry cooperation. The technical approach involves collaborating with BLM, USDA, and others to advance stewardship. The applicant has experience with forestry programs and resolving land disputes. Forests are important for mitigating climate change and the proposal aims to prepare a campground for a forestry convention.
Think Globally Eat Locally Final Report 8-23-08 | American Farmland TrustAmerican Farmland Trust
Eating locally-grown food has become quite a phenomenon. It tastes better and it’s better for you, family farmers and the planet. This paper explores the plausibility of eating globally and locally in the San Francisco Foodshed.
Land tenure in pastoralist society: Pastoralists Land RightsLoupa Pius
Pastoralists are among the most politically and economically marginalized communities in the world. Marginalized in the context of limited access to the natural resources on which their livelihoods depend, and very limited access to basic socio-economic services and infrastructure. Limited or uncertain resource tenure and access to, or ownership of land, water and other resources is a long-term fundamental constraint for pastoralism.
These challenges account for the poverty and lack of essential services thus categorized as; climate change, political and economic marginalization, inappropriate development policies, and increasing resource competition.
Pastoral communities increasingly shift away from the areas that are no longer viable, into areas that are less dry with more predictable rainfall patterns. This form of human migration induced by demographic pressure and environmental stressors is often accompanied by conflict between customary and statutory land tenure arrangements and services which in turn fuels tensions among multiple resource users.
Land regeneration on Smallholder farmers in Southern Africa- What works?FMNR Hub
This document discusses land regeneration strategies for smallholder farmers in Southern Africa. It recommends focusing on soil cover, organic matter, and regenerative practices like stopping burning and tillage. Communities should secure ownership over land and natural resources through community-based management. Sharing regenerative technologies can help increase sustainable production of crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry. Developing local value addition and markets can support farmers in benefiting from increasing production.
New York is losing farmland at an unsustainable rate, threatening the state's food security, economy, and environment. The state's Farmland Protection Program, funded by the Environmental Protection Fund, has successfully protected over 300 farms and 72,000 acres but was cut 83% in funding between 2008-2010. As a result, the program has ground to a halt, leaving 61 farm families awaiting payment for conservation easements. To address this crisis, New York must restore funding to the Farmland Protection Program, complete existing easement projects, and strengthen incentives and capacity for ongoing farmland conservation.
The document discusses farmland loss in the United States, noting that Texas lost the most total acreage at 2.9 million acres, followed by Florida and California each losing over 1.5 million acres. While some states protected farmland well, others like New Jersey and Rhode Island lost over 20% of their farmland. Even large farming areas are at risk of being lost, which could negatively impact fruit and vegetable production since Florida and California currently produce 47% of US vegetables and 71% of fruit despite experiencing major acreage losses.
Farmland loss is a significant national issue, with over an acre lost every minute in the US. Texas lost the most total farmland at nearly 3 million acres, followed by Florida and California each losing over 1.5 million acres, while 34 other states each lost over 250,000 acres. States in the Northeast like New Jersey and Rhode Island lost the highest proportion of their farmland, each over 20%. Even major farming regions are threatened, as Florida and California, which lost the most farmland, produce nearly half the country's vegetables and over 70% of its fruits. Some states were able to protect more farmland than was lost through development pressures.
Between 1982 and 2007:
- Every state lost agricultural land as acres were converted to developed uses.
- California and Florida, which lost the most agricultural land overall, account for nearly half the acreage used to grow fruits and vegetables nationwide.
- Over 1 million acres of agricultural land across the US were developed during this period, equivalent to the size of Indiana.
The Pacific Northwest is anticipating massive growth in the years ahead, most of which is likely to occur in areas of environmental sensitivity.
Environmental markets (also referred to as ecosystem service markets) represent a way for our growing communities to offset or mitigate for the unavoidable impacts of growth and development at the lowest reasonable cost. At the same time, they can provide supplemental income for our farmers and ranchers, improving their economic viability, and providing the funding necessary for them to protect their land and remain in agriculture.
Greenhouse gas markets aim to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. In these markets, farmers and ranchers can generate offset credits by taking actions on their land that sequester carbon or reduce emissions, such as changing tillage practices, managing manure differently, planting trees, and adjusting fertilizer use. However, the certification and verification procedures required to sell credits in existing markets can be complex and hinder individual farmer participation. A Washington greenhouse gas market may develop through the Western Climate Initiative or a future federal climate law.
The document discusses potential economic opportunities for agriculture from climate and energy policies. It finds that a cap-and-trade system, if properly structured, could provide long-term benefits to agriculture with modest production cost increases and new revenue opportunities from carbon offsets and renewable energy. Specifically, it estimates that production costs would increase by only 1.2-7.8% depending on the crop, and that no-till farming and livestock management practices could generate new offset revenue for farmers.
POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CAPAND- TRADE POLICY ON U.S. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERSAmerican Farmland Trust
An independent study showing that a large segment of U.S. farmers and rural America can benefit significantly from properly structured clean energy legislation, with a net benefit to agriculture, and in particular wheat farmers.
Impacts of Climate Change Legislation on Agriculture in the Rocky Mountain St...American Farmland Trust
This white paper analyzes the potential impacts of proposed climate change legislation on agriculture in the Rocky Mountain states of Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It reviews existing studies on the economic effects of climate change policies for the agricultural sector. The legislation would likely increase energy and fertilizer costs for farmers by up to 13% and 2%, respectively, by 2020. However, higher commodity prices and new revenue opportunities from carbon offsets, biofuel crops, and other programs could offset these rising input costs for many crop producers. Traditional ranchers may face challenges from higher feed costs unless they adopt technologies like methane digesters. On balance, the paper estimates a small rise in state-level farm incomes of 1.2-4.1% by
This document discusses the potential impacts of cap-and-trade legislation on U.S. agriculture. It finds that the cost of cap-and-trade to the average wheat grower would be $4/acre by 2025 and $21/acre by 2035, but allowing offsets for fertilizers is critical to reducing these costs. No-till practices can generate carbon offset credits that offset some of the higher production costs from cap-and-trade. On average, U.S. wheat producers could benefit by approximately $35/acre from cap-and-trade by 2035 through no-till offsets, though benefits will vary between farmers and regions.
This document discusses the emergence of conservation markets and their potential application to agriculture in the Pacific Northwest region. It begins by outlining the environmental challenges facing the region from population growth and the importance of maintaining economically viable agriculture to protect environmental resources. It then defines conservation markets and provides examples of existing markets for carbon sequestration, water quality credits, wetlands mitigation, and wildlife habitat that could generate income for farmers. The document analyzes opportunities and issues for Pacific Northwest agriculture participating in each type of conservation market. It concludes that conservation markets represent an opportunity to provide farmers supplemental income while improving the environment in a more cost-effective way than increased regulation.
Planning for Agriculture: A Guide for Connecticut Municipalities | American F...American Farmland Trust
This document provides an overview of the importance of agriculture in Connecticut municipalities. It discusses the economic, fiscal, environmental, scenic and recreational benefits that farms provide. Agriculture is broadly defined under Connecticut law to include the cultivation of soil, dairying, forestry, and raising or harvesting of agricultural commodities. Farms support jobs and the local economy through production expenses that flow through communities. They also help maintain lower property taxes and protect natural resources like water quality. Working farms provide rural character and attract tourism.
The Growing Local Resource Index provides links to online resources about local and regional food systems, including reports, local and state laws, and sample documents. In most cases these resources are available on the Farmland Information Center (FIC) Web site (www.farmlandinfo.org).
How Ecosystem Markets Can Transform Agriculture and Protect the Environment |...American Farmland Trust
The U.S. population is projected to double over the next 50 years. Much of that increase will be concentrated in a few dynamic regions of the country. As those regions grow, they will increasingly need to find the least costly and most effective ways to mitigate for the environmental impacts of that growth.
Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties | American Farmland TrustAmerican Farmland Trust
Funded by a National Research Initiative grant from USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, our study sought to identify conditions under which farming may remain viable in agriculturally important areas that are subject to substantial development pressures.
Farmland Information Center Fact Sheet | The Farmland Protection Toolbox | Th...American Farmland Trust
This fact sheet provides a brief description of the tools and techniques that state and local governments are using to protect farmland and support the economic viability of agriculture. Some of the techniques result in programs that are enacted and administered at the state level, others are used primarily by local governments. Sometimes, municipal governments adapt and strengthen state laws to meet unique local needs. Som
The 2008 Farm Bill—known officially as the Food, Conservation
and Energy Act of 2008—marks a historic moment in American
agricultural policy. New players and new partnerships shifted the
debate in unprecedented ways, resulting in better programs and
an increased focus on supporting the needs of producers and
consumers. American Farmland Trust is proud of the role we played
in the debate and the resulting outcomes.
The document compares key issues in pending US legislation regarding offset policies. It discusses the role of the USDA versus the EPA in implementing agricultural offset programs. It analyzes and compares the bills in terms of project categories eligible for offsets, treatment of early actors who generated offsets prior to programs, and agricultural incentive programs. The Kerry-Boxer and Waxman-Markey bills are more similar to each other than to the Stabenow bill in these areas.
Economic Comparison of Effects of Clean Energy Legislation on Agriculture SectorAmerican Farmland Trust
“Overall, the research suggests U.S. agriculture has more to gain than lose with the passage of
H.R. 2454,” says Dr. Bill Golden, Dept. of Agricultural Economics at KSU and the team’s leader. “The bill specifically exempts production agriculture from emissions caps, provides provisions to ease the transition to higher fertilizer prices, and, fosters the development of carbon offset markets which will likely enhance agricultural revenues.”
Understanding of Self - Applied Social Psychology - Psychology SuperNotesPsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
ProSocial Behaviour - Applied Social Psychology - Psychology SuperNotesPsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
Covey says most people look for quick fixes. They see a big success and want to know how he did it, believing (and hoping) they can do the same following a quick bullet list.
But real change, the author says, comes not from the outside in, but from the inside out. And the most fundamental way of changing yourself is through a paradigm shift.
That paradigm shift is a new way of looking at the world. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People presents an approach to effectiveness based on character and principles.
The first three habits indeed deal with yourself because it all starts with you. The first three habits move you from dependence from the world to the independence of making your own world.
Habits 4, 5 and 6 are about people and relationships. The will move you from independence to interdependence. Such, cooperating to achieve more than you could have by yourself.
The last habit, habit number 7, focuses on continuous growth and improvement.
Aggression - Applied Social Psychology - Psychology SuperNotesPsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
Aggression - Applied Social Psychology - Psychology SuperNotes
Farmland Protection Trailblazers
1. W
hen american
Farmland
Farmland Trust started
30 years ago, most
communities were just waking up
to the dangers of farmland loss,
Protection
and few had taken action. Now,
farmland protection is a national
movement. Public and private ef-
Trailblazers
forts to preserve farm and ranch
land are underway from coast to
10
coast—and have protected well
over three million acres.
People, Places &
During the past three decades,
american Farmland Trust has
nurtured these burgeoning Partnerships
Making a Difference
efforts across the country.
sharing resources and advice.
researching what works and
why. Guiding the development
of conservation programs. by KIrSTeN FerguSoN
Using our megaphone to raise
awareness and to call for more
conservation funding. and in
some cases, even launching new
on-the-ground organizations to
advance the cause.
along the way, we learned
there is no one-size-fits-all
solution to the problem of
farmland loss. in the pages
that follow, we present you with
ten pioneering people, places
and partnerships of farmland
protection—all with their own
stories about how innovation
and perseverance made all the
difference. This represents just a
small slice of the many farmers,
bottoM: Marcio Jose sanchez/aP Photo, toP: abraM kaPlan
leaders and citizens working
tirelessly around the country to
save the land that sustains us.
top: kline farm, a preserved farm in
Mt. hope, ohio
bottom: a residential development cuts
into farmland along the san Joaquin
river, california.
10 Americ An FAr m l An d Spring 2010
2. 1. dale reiner and tulaliP tribes
Snohomish, Washington
A partnership between a Native American tribe
and Washington farmers is turning a challenge
into an economic asset, with the ultimate goal
of protecting water and farmland.
T
teD warren/aP Photo
he health of his land, and the water that flows through
it, has always been a big concern for Dale Reiner, a
rancher in northwest Washington’s Snohomish County,
which lies between the Puget Sound and the snow-capped
peaks of the Cascade Mountains. He’s worked with a traditional native american canoe on tulalip bay near Marysville,
washington
American Farmland Trust on Pioneers of Conservation
projects to protect endangered salmon in the Skykomish Reiner serves as president of Qualco Energy, a non-
River, which runs through Reiner’s -acre cattle ranch. profit partnership between farmers, Tulalip Tribes and
Protection of the environment is also vitally impor- a salmon recovery group to run the biomass digester.
tant to the neighboring Tulalip Tribes, who have long “Qualco means ‘joining of two rivers’ in Tulalip,” he
depended on salmon for their culture, sustenance and explains. “That’s symbolic because we’re joining two
livelihood. Working with Reiner and local farmers, the cultures.”
tribe came up with the idea for a biomass digester to In addition to cleaner water, the project also captures
turn manure from local dairy farms into electricity for methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. But it has another
area homes. The power project helps struggling dairy primary goal: helping area dairies stay in business by
farmers meet water regulations and cut down on com- giving them a profitable way to meet environmental
mercial fertilizer by generating compost they can apply demands. “The only way to save farmland is to make it so
to their fields. valuable that farmers don’t want to sell it,” Reiner says.
raMi grunbauM/the seattle tiMes
farmer Dale reiner with some of the cows that fuel Qualco’s biomass power plant
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml And 11
3. verMont fooDbank
David thurlow at the vermont foodbank’s kingsbury farm
2. Vermont Foodbank Farm Warren, Vermont
In the Mad River Valley, where demand money for its conservation. The land trust then solicited
offers from potential buyers who would use the protected
for local food often exceeds the supply, the
farm property to advance the goals of the community.
Vermont Foodbank found a novel way to “We embraced the Vermont Foodbank proposal because
support farmland protection and bring more it captured so much of what the community wanted to
local food to the community. see: to have a farm in the community to feed people in the
community,” says Liza Walker of Vermont Land Trust.
W hen the Vermont Foodbank, which serves anti-
hunger programs across the state, saw the opportu-
nity to buy a -acre protected farm in central Vermont’s
The Foodbank is now leasing the farm to vegetable
growers Aaron Locker and Susanne Slomin, who will
supply the Foodbank with a percentage of their organic
Mad River Valley, the timing was right. Due to the produce—mainly heavy root crops that store well, such as
economy, donations of non-perishable items were down. onions and carrots, as well as fresh leafy greens. “People
And Foodbank officials had been thinking about ways to are thrilled. The cooks at the local senior center couldn’t
increase their connection to local food and improve the be happier,” Thurlow says.
nutritional value of the food they distribute. Located in a heavily trafficked area along busy Route
“There’s a lot of demand. When we do get fresh , the farm will also serve as an educational facility,
produce, it goes—people want it,” says the Vermont helping to raise awareness about three key issues, says
Foodbank’s David Thurlow. The Foodbank wrote the Thurlow. “First, the importance of farmland protection—
winning proposal to buy the historic farm, which had ‘no farms, no food.’ Second, that we can help the small
been purchased and protected in by Vermont Land farmer with a unique business model like this. And third,
Trust after community groups—who didn’t want to see the necessity of including low income people in the
the prominent farm developed—rallied and helped raise expansion of local food.”
12 Americ An FAr m l An d Spring 2010
4. 3. amos Funk Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Amos Funk brushed off criticism to promote
farmland preservation at a time when people
knew little about it—leading his county to
develop one of the top farmland protection
programs in the nation.
“F armland’s savior” read the headline of an edito-
rial in a Lancaster, Pennsylvania newspaper after
vegetable farmer Amos Funk passed away in February
at the age of . Savior he was: when developers tried to
richarD hertzler/lancaster newsPaPers, inc.
have funding for Lancaster County’s model farmland
preservation program cut in , Funk called a press
conference on his farm to denounce the effort. That led
the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners to commit
even more money to preservation: $ million during
the next decade.
When Funk first talked to people, decades prior, about
the need for farmland preservation, he was called a com-
munist or just plain crazy. In , he finally succeeded in farm preservation leader amos funk outside his home in Millersville,
Pennsylvania
getting the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners to
establish an agricultural preserve board, and he became Trust. More than 86, acres of county land have now
the first chairman. And he later convinced the county to been protected through public and private efforts.
put farmland preservation funding up for a public referen- “All of us that work to promote farmland protection on
dum, which passed overwhelmingly and has been part of the East Coast owe a great deal to Amos for his energy and
every Lancaster County budget since then. foresight,” says Bob Wagner, senior policy and program
Because Lancaster’s many Plain Sect farmers shunned advisor of American Farmland Trust. “Lancaster County’s
government programs, Funk saw the need to create a farmland preservation program has no peer. It’s one of
private local organization to work with farmers to preserve the best nationwide and Pennsylvania’s state program is
their land, and so he helped found the Lancaster Farmland without a doubt the standard-bearer for the country.”
nicholas t.
a farm in west lampeter township, lancaster county, Pennsylvania
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml And 13
5. Why save Farmland?
Every minute of every day, we lose
two acres of agricultural land to
sprawling development. over the past
20 years, the average acreage per
person for new housing almost doubled—
with our best agricultural soils being
developed the fastest.
national economy and
World Food security
The u.s. food and farming system
vetta collection/istockPhoto
contributes nearly $1 trillion to our
national economy— more than 13
percent of the gross domestic product—
and employs 17 percent of the labor
force. World consumers of u.s. agricul-
tural exports are expected to increase
their purchases in the future. With a Protection of the and watersheds and maintains air
rapidly increasing world population environment quality. and new energy crops have
and expanding global markets, saving Well-managed agricultural land supplies the potential to replace some of our
american farmland is a prudent invest- important goods and services for our fossil fuels.
ment in the world food supply and the environment. Farm and ranch land
nation’s economic future. provides food and cover for wildlife, Fresh local Food and
helps control flooding, protects wetlands strong communities
Farms closest to our cities, and di-
rectly in the path of development,
produce much of our fresh food — an
astounding 91 percent of our fruit
and 78 percent of our vegetables.
and for many americans, compelling
reasons for saving farmland have to do
with protecting the quality of life in their
communities — scenic and cultural land-
scapes, farmers markets, recreational
opportunities, local jobs and community
businesses.
healthy local economies
new development requires services
such as schools, roads and fire/police
protection, while privately owned and
managed agricultural land requires
John cross/aP Photo/the Mankato free Press
very few services. cost of community
services (cocs) studies show that—
nationwide— farm, forest and open
lands more than pay for the mu-
nicipal services they require, while
taxes on residential uses, on average,
fail to cover costs.
Martin and loretta Jaus on their organic dairy farm near gibbon, Minnesota
14 Americ An FAr m l A n d Spring 2010
6. 4. Peninsula townshiP Michigan
After launching 20 years ago, farmland
protection efforts in Peninsula Township
soared, transforming the agricultural
industry in ways no one imagined.
T he alarm sounded in the late s for this skinny
peninsula in Lake Michigan when a prominent farm
was developed—its orchards ripped out for upscale homes
and condos. Next, the -acre Murray Farm, located at
the tip of Old Mission Peninsula—which has a micro-
tyler siPe/aP Photo/traverse city recorD-eagle
climate ideal for growing fruit like cherries, apples and
grapes—came up for sale.
“Everyone thought if the Murray Farm went down,
farms would fall like dominoes. It would have eroded
confidence among the agricultural community,” says
Brian Bourdages of the Grand Traverse Regional Land
Conservancy.
Farmer and township board supervisor Rob Manigold
turned to American Farmland Trust for help. AFT
a grape harvester in a Pinot gris vineyard on Michigan’s old Mission
stepped in and bought the land, holding it until Michigan Peninsula
Department of Natural Resources could take it over.
Township officials then drafted AFT to help them create crops, such as wine grapes, fresh market apples and hand-
a purchase of development rights program to protect farm- picked sweet cherries.
land. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Manigold and plan- The program also had a stimulating effect on farmland
ner Gordon Hayward, Peninsula Township celebrated the protection efforts throughout the region. “Given what’s
th anniversary of its program last year. During that time, going on with manufacturing, people in the Midwest are
more than , acres of land have been protected—nearly starting to realize the economic importance of agricul-
one-third of the peninsula’s land mass. ture,” Bourdages says. “Peninsula Township was a catalyst
“One of the benefits we’ve seen is a really vibrant, for many of the local farmland protection programs in
stable agricultural community,” says Bourdages. The Michigan. Farmers here who protected their land are still
increase in capital available to farmers from the program getting calls from farmers all over the region saying, ‘Tell
has allowed them to make investments in higher value me what you did.’”
granD traverse regional lanD conservancy
a view of lake Michigan’s grand traverse bay from protected land growing riesling grapes at chateau grand traverse winery
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml A nd 15
7. 5. camPaign For
wisconsin’s Farm
and Forest lands
Three decades after launching their first
farmland protection program, Wisconsin’s
conservation efforts get a boost with a
comprehensive new plan for working lands.
S hortly after taking office in , Wisconsin’s newly
appointed secretary of agriculture Rod Nilsestuen
asked Tom Lyon, the retired CEO of a Wisconsin cattle
wisconsin agriculture secretary rod nilsestuen (left) and tom lyon (right)
cooperative, what should be done to protect the state’s
agricultural industry. Lyon, who had served on the board
of American Farmland Trust in the s, had an answer: program along with “agricultural enterprise areas” where
better protect the state’s beleaguered farmland. farmers would agree to not develop their land in exchange
Although Wisconsin’s considerable agricultural industry for tax incentives. The next step was to get the package of
generates to 6 billion dollars a year, the state had not reforms—known as the Working Lands Initiative—through
done enough over the years to help farmers protect their the legislature and signed into law. American Farmland
land from sprawl. “We were getting dotted with houses Trust and project partners launched the campaign and
out in the country next to farmland, and we had some poor blanketed the state, generating grassroots support for the
development occurring around urban areas like Milwaukee initiative.
and the Twin Cities,” Lyon says. Months of hard work paid off: in early , Governor
Nilsestuen put together a task force and spent a year James Doyle put the Working Lands Initiative in his bud-
developing a plan to create a new farmland protection get message, and the legislature adopted it in July. With
$ million in
state funding,
the initiative is
now being imple-
mented—and
not a moment
too soon for the
state’s hard-hit
farmers. “This
was a model for
how state policy
should work,”
says Lyon. “We
started at the
grassroots, and
Peter thoMson/aP Photo/la crosse tribune
we brought in
AFT as an exter-
nal force. The
result serves as
a model for how
state policy can
be developed.”
a rural crawford county farm in Mount sterling, wisconsin
16 Americ An FAr m l A n d Spring 2010
8. JereMy green
Protected farmland at brotherhood farms, easton, new york
6. george houser Washington County, New York
Upstate New York dairy farmer George His determination inspired many of his farm neighbors
Houser spent more than two decades preserv- along Route in the town of Easton to protect thousands
of acres of their own land as well.
ing his farm piece by piece—sparking a local
“It’s beyond personal,” Houser says. “People have
farmland protection movement in the process. to have food and the land to grow it. I feel like we
accomplished a great thing.”
S omeone has to be first. In many communities strug-
gling to protect farmland, skepticism gradually
turned to enthusiasm as farmers saw their neighbors
protect their land and benefit from it—whether from the
satisfaction of being able to pass their land onto future
generations or the increased ability to invest back in their
operations.
Dairy farmer George Houser Jr., who farms a good-
sized chunk of fertile Hudson River bottom land in bucolic
Washington County, New York, was first before many oth-
ers were first. He became concerned early on, in the s,
that local governments were ignoring their farmland loss.
“If you don’t set aside blocks of farms, conflicts can increase
to the point where farmland always loses,” Houser says.
“But ultimately everybody loses.”
Armed with a degree in government from Harvard,
Houser spent the decades that followed working with fel-
low farmers and citizens, American Farmland Trust and
his local planning board to develop guidelines that would
save farmland. In , he co-founded the Agricultural
Stewardship Association, which became the first local
land trust in New York dedicated solely to protecting
agricultural land.
Houser’s own personal farmland protection journey
began when he and his wife Earline donated an easement
to American Farmland Trust in , and it was finally
JereMy green
completed last year when the family worked with the
Agricultural Stewardship Association to conserve the final
-acre portion of their ,-acre Brotherhood Farms. george houser Jr., and his son george iii
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml A nd 17
9. 7. uPPer elk riVer Valley Colorado
Over kitchen table meetings with their To show their commitment
neighbors, a group of Colorado ranchers took to keeping their land in
ranching, several prominent
control of their own fate, creating a compact
valley ranchers—including
to limit growth. Fetcher, Mary Mosher and
Stranahan—donated con-
W hen ranchers in western Colorado’s Upper Elk
River Valley realized that condos and vacation
time shares, spilling over from popular nearby ski resorts,
servation easements on their
land, inspiring others to do
the same.
threatened to drive ranching from the fertile agricultural The efforts of Upper
valley, they took matters into their own hands. Ranchers Elk River Valley ranchers
Steve Stranahan and Jay Fetcher approached their have protected 8, acres,
neighbors and found they shared a commitment to with more in the works. “It’s ranchers ann and steve stranahan
keeping ranching in the productive valley, where a crucial that we protect our agricultural land. But it has to
lack of planning had led to haphazard growth that was be done as a community, because one individual can’t do it
irrevocably altering the valley’s beautiful landscape and alone,” says Stranahan, who owns The Home Ranch, a cat-
Western character. tle operation and dude ranch, and is now a board member
Over meetings at the kitchen tables of their neighbors, of American Farmland Trust. Fetcher went on to help form
the group of ranchers formed the Upper Elk River Valley the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, which
compact, developing a vision for how ranching, recre- has preserved another , acres throughout the state.
ational uses and carefully located development could fit In 6, Routt County voters overwhelmingly ap-
together. They worked with American Farmland Trust to proved a program to protect threatened agricultural land,
establish a set of voluntary principles that called for home influenced by the ranchers’ vision. In all of Routt County,
construction only where it would not harm agricultural almost percent of privately owned property is now pre-
operations or valley views. It became the first private, served. “Efforts to preserve the Upper Elk River Valley are
community-wide agreement of its kind in the nation. ongoing,” Stranahan says. “But thanks to the work of many
ranchers and community members, much of the valley is
now safe from the developer’s knife.”
18 Americ The home l A n d in clark, colorado
cowboys on An FAr m ranch Spring 2010
10. craig holMan/aP Photo/DisPatch
suburban sprawl surrounds farmland in columbus, ohio.
agricultural lands could offset 20 percent
securing the nation’s Future: the case for a of current u.s. greenhouse gas emis-
new national agricultural lands study sions. agricultural lands, at a fraction of
the cost, could help offset billions of dol-
Will the united states continue to have enough agricultural lars worth of mandated upgrades at pub-
land to meet the needs of the nation and world? licly owned water treatment plants. and
having farms that can grow food close to
by bob WAgNer, SeNIor PolICy AND ProgrAm ADVISor, AmerICAN FArmlAND TruST cities could reduce the energy needs and
greenhouse gas emissions associated
Thirty years ago, the united states programs and served as an impetus for with shipping food long distances, while
undertook the first national agricultural the founding of american Farmland Trust. increasing the availability of fresh local
Lands study (naLs) to document the in the three decades since, we have food for our citizens.
extent and causes of farmland loss. seen significant changes in the challeng- despite efforts around the country to
released in 1981, the study found that es and opportunities facing u.s. agricul- protect agricultural land, we continue
large areas of agricultural land, and soils ture. We now know that well-managed to lose farm and ranch land at a rate of
of the highest quality, were being perma- agricultural lands could potentially help over one million acres a year. can our
nently converted to non-agricultural use. us address a changing climate, a grow- nation survive that loss of our most basic
in response, congress passed the ing population and serious concerns food, fiber and fuel resource? only a
Farmland protection policy act in 1981, about our nation’s food and energy new national agricultural Lands study
providing some farmland protection tools security. Energy crops and crop residues can determine the country’s need for ag-
and a justification for federal funding to could provide 14 percent of u.s. elec- ricultural land as a national security asset
support efforts to protect high quality tricity use or 13 percent of the nation’s and lay the groundwork for a robust
farmland. The study helped launch doz- motor fuel demands. changes in agricul- strategy to secure this resource base for
ens of state and local farmland protection ture practices and foresting of marginal future generations.
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml A nd 19
11. 8. FarmscaPe seminar Denison University, Ohio
In a unique class at Denison University,
students are examining the many facets of
farmland preservation through the lens
of a camera.
F locks of geese fly over a preserved Ohio field in
winter. Historic farm buildings stand undisturbed
after outlasting threats from developers. Farmers go
about their work in barns and fields. These are all images
captured by students in Denison University’s Farmscape
Seminar, a program that documents Ohio farmland
preservation while teaching students about farming
and photography.
abraM kaPlan
Developed by environmental studies professor and pho-
tographer Abram Kaplan, the class teaches students about
legal and economic tools that protect agricultural land from
development. (They read American Farmland Trust’s Saving
American Land: What Works as a primer.) Kaplan came up The students—few from farming backgrounds—come
with the idea when a farmer approached him at a conference away with new insights about the industry and the im-
and suggested he start documenting Ohio’s protected farms. portance of preservation. “Students often come into the
“We’re taking an artistic look at this topic that is often not class not very knowledgeable about farms and farming,”
given a visual perspective,” Kaplan says. “There’s something Kaplan says. “But as they start talking to farmers and hear
deeply authentic about the images that result.” why they want to preserve their land, they are energized
Students in the class visit protected farms, interviewing by the optimism that these farmers feel about the future
the farmers and photographing their operations. They of the land. Before, farmland was something students may
compile their photographs into books of images portray- have just driven past, but after the class it’s something they
ing the farms and their stories and in some cases have actually feel a part of—some even start considering farming
presented their work to the public. as a career.”
abraM kaPlan
abraM kaPlan
students in Denison’s farmscape seminar a barn window view of the preserved hohmann farm in Pataskala, ohio
20 Americ A n FAr m l A n d Spring 2010
12. 9. texas agricultural land trust
In a state that’s losing farm and ranch land Fitzsimons was then tasked with lead-
faster than any other, the Texas Agricultural ing a new statewide organization, the
Texas Agricultural Land Trust, to work
Land Trust is moving rapidly to make up for
directly with state farmers and ranchers.
lost time. “Right out of the starting gate, we had
people lining up for easements. By the end
A
blair fitzsimons
t million acres, Texas leads the nation in land of the first year, , acres had been
devoted to private farms, ranches and forests— protected,” Fitzsimons says.
8 percent of the state’s land base. Texas is also losing that American Farmland Trust led the effort to create the
land faster than just about anywhere: a study commis- new organization, which was modeled after other range-
sioned by American Farmland Trust found the state lost land-focused groups such as the Colorado Cattlemen’s
. million acres in the last years alone. Agricultural Land Trust. “We had the benefit of having this
But when conservation advocates first tried to pass leg- tremendous body of expertise behind us with AFT,” says
islation enacting a farm and ranch land protection program Fitzsimons. “It gave us significant credibility in the
for the state, they failed, in part due to opposition from the agricultural community and really helps us to this day.”
agricultural community. Lessons were learned the second The land trust is serving a vital function for the
time around. American Farmland Trust hired rancher Blair Lonestar State, where rapidly accelerating land values and
Fitzsimons to alleviate rancher concerns and successfully low returns in livestock markets are placing tremendous
shepherd the program through the Texas legislature. pressure on ranchers to sell chunks of their land. This split-
“I was charged with bringing the agricultural commu- ting of ranches into smaller pieces sets up a “massive chain
nity on board and forging a consensus between agricultural reaction going down the line,” Fitzsimons says. “When
groups and conservationists,” Fitzsimons says. “There were you’ve got this massive fragmentation going on in certain
a lot of misconceptions surrounding conservation ease- parts of the state, these properties can no longer support
ments. There’s still a lot of skepticism, but I definitely see themselves. Then ranchers have no alternative between
brick walls coming down.” hold out and sell out.”
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml A nd 21
13. saving the land
that sustains us
american Farmland Trust continues the
fight to make sure local communities and
farmers have the tools they need to save
the land that sustains us. your support
helps us:
Protect Farmland and Keep the
land healthy. For more than 30
years, we’ve been the national leader in
saving farmland and supporting conser-
vation practices that protect the environ-
ment. Through our work promoting smart
christoPher leavell
growth and helping state, federal and
local governments design, implement
and fund farmland protection programs,
we will continue to lead the urgent drive the rural and urban collide in Meridian, idaho.
to save farmland—an integral part of
the “green infrastructure” needed for products exceeds the available supply, Promote changes in Food and
america’s future. with many obstacles in the way for local Farm Policy. many titles in the federal
products to reach nearby consumers. farm bill have implications for farmland
Plan for agriculture and We’re continuing our cutting-edge work protection, local food and the environ-
strengthen regional Food with states and communities to develop ment. in addition to achievements in
systems. Even in states like california, farm-friendly plans, local food systems conservation and farmland protection,
the demand for local food and farm and farmland protection strategies. our work on the 2008 Farm bill and
other federal legislation has succeeded in
securing significantly increased funding
the apple as Planet earth and new programs to support farm profit-
ability, environmental stewardship and
do you know how much of the Earth is suitable for farming? Watch our video
working lands protection.
about why protecting farmland is so important. go to www.farmland.org/
apple.
Provide research and advice
for Farmers, Policymakers and
citizens. our Farmland information
center—a partnership between american
Farmland Trust and the usda natural
resources conservation service—is a
clearinghouse for information about
farm and ranch land protection, envi-
ronmental stewardship, and programs
and policies that support the business of
farming. call (800) 370-4879 for free
assistance or visit www.farmlandinfo.org.
american Farmland Trust needs your
help to save the land that sustains us.
To learn how you can make a donation
to aFT today, please visit www.farm-
land.org/support or contact american
Farmland Trust at (800) 431-1499.
22 Americ A n FAr m l A n d Spring 2010
14. san Joaquin Valley California
A far-reaching campaign seeks to save “AFT first made the San Joaquin its top priority in
farmland in the San Joaquin Valley, one of California in the early s,” says Ed Thompson Jr., AFT’s
California director. “Until then, interest in and concern
the most threatened—yet most productive—
about farmland loss was confined largely to the state’s coast-
agricultural areas in the world. al areas, which had already experienced rapid population
growth.”
T he San Joaquin Valley,
which extends from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
AFT’s coordinated campaign in the region focuses on
minimizing the loss of farmland through better manage-
ment of urban growth. As a start, a group of valley officials
in the north to the Tehachapi recently voted to adopt a regional “blueprint” that would
Mountains in the south, is one
steve yeater/aP Photo
save , acres of farmland by , although AFT had
of the world’s most diverse and pushed for an even more ambitious goal. In addition, AFT’s
productive agricultural regions. campaign is working to make sure the proposed California
Valley farmers produce high speed rail project has a positive, rather than negative
different crops—from grapes san Joaquin county farmer impact on agriculture in the valley, while participating in
to nuts, citrus and vegetables— richard rodriguez a statewide “Ag Vision” planning process to address eco-
worth $ billion annually. nomic, food safety, environmental and other pressing issues
But much of this bounty comes from only five million impacting California’s farmers. (For more information, visit
acres of irrigated cropland that are under siege from urban www.farmland.org/california.)
development. American Farmland Trust documented that
the region is now developing an entire acre of farmland for
every eight new residents. At this rate, the valley is expected know a farmland protection trailblazer in your community? write us at edi-
to lose more than 6, acres of highly productive tor, American Farmland, 1200 18th street, nw, washington, D.c. 20036
farmland by . or email kferguson@farmland.org.
Marcio Jose sanchez/aP Photo
harvey bailey walks through his orange orchard in orange cove, california.
Spring 2010 A m e r i c An FA rml And 23