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Working Lands Preservation: Tools and Incentives

Working Lands Preservation: Tools and Incentives. Gerry Cohn Southeast Regional Office Graham, NC. American Farmland Trust. National non-profit organization, founded in 1980. 50,000 members nationwide Protecting working lands, planning for agriculture, and keeping the land healthy

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Working Lands Preservation: Tools and Incentives

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  1. Working Lands Preservation: Tools and Incentives Gerry Cohn Southeast Regional Office Graham, NC

  2. American Farmland Trust • National non-profit organization, founded in 1980. 50,000 members nationwide • Protecting working lands, planning for agriculture, and keeping the land healthy • Education, policy advocacy, and land projects • Farm Bill

  3. Principles for improving working land conservation • Increased coordination and simplification of local, state, and national working lands conservation programs will make them more “customer friendly” and effective

  4. Principles for improving working land conservation • Elected officials and government agencies must do a better job of building public support for working lands conservation if the programs are to be improved and expanded

  5. Principles for improving working lands conservation • Government supported working lands conservation programs should demonstrate they produce valuable and measurable “environmental goods” or “conservation commodities.”

  6. Principles for improving working lands conservation • Producing more benefits from working lands conservation will require significantly greater funding.

  7. LOCALMaking the Case for Agriculture • Economic • Natural resource protection • Wildlife habitat • Rural heritage • Fiscal

  8. LOCALPlanning for Agriculture: • Land use policies • Economic development programs FARMING IS A BUSINESS!!

  9. Land Use Policy: Comprehensive Plans • Agriculture’s role in the county • Existing and planned water and sewer • Locating public facilities: schools, industrial parks • Setbacks and regulations for farm-based businesses • Outreach to the farming community

  10. Agricultural Economic Development • Planning for ag viability • Individual business and estate plans • Creating alternative products and markets • Agri-tourism/local promotion • PACE programs

  11. Carroll County • Broad based partnership • Active participation in Comp Plan Update • Cotton Mill Farmers Market • Farmers Fresh Food Network • SPLOST referendum (3M for farmland) • Georgia Agricultural Land Trust

  12. New York Watershed Agricultural Program • Developed as an alternative to a costly EPA-mandated filtration system • Administered by the non-profit Watershed Agricultural Council • Includes both financial incentives to implement best management practices as well as the purchase of agricultural conservation easements

  13. REGIONAL What’s Happening Around the Southeast

  14. Kentucky • Statewide PACE – 15M • Fayette County PDR – 15M • Agricultural Development Fund • Soil Erosion and Water Quality Cost-Share

  15. Virginia • State Office of Farmland Preservation • Model PDR program guidelines • Ag Enterprise Districts: cost-share • Local Ag Economic Development Coordinators

  16. North Carolina • Voluntary Agricultural Districts • NC Farm Transition Network • Working Lands and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund

  17. NATIONAL • Farmland Protection • Farm Bill

  18. NATIONAL Farmland Protection • Local PACE: 55 programs, 763M, 2200 farms • State PACE: 27 programs, 2B, 8750 farms • Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) • Conservation Easement Tax Law: Landowner deduction increase from 30 to 50% of income (100% for farmers); can be spread over 16 years

  19. Sample State PACE Program Activity (2006) StateAcresEasements$ Spent (M) Pennsylvania 318,350 2,783 513.5 Colorado 244,584 160 88.3 Vermont 113,000 389 45.0 California 32,727 100 44.2 Delaware 79,955 442 88.7

  20. NATIONAL:Farm Bill Reform:Unmet Needs of Agriculture • New market development • Energy • Research, pest management, etc. • Rural development • Stewardship

  21. A New Framework forU.S. Farm Policy

  22. AFT’s Agenda 2007 Four Major Policy Proposals • Green Payments • Revenue Protection Program • Cooperative Conservation Program • Farm and Ranch Profitability Grants

  23. Gerry Cohn: 336-221-0707 • gcohn@farmland.org • Technical info: 800-370-4879 • http://www.farmland.org

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