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Farmland Access and Affordability

Farmland Access and Affordability. Jon Ramsay – Director Farmland Access Program Vermont Land Trust. Overview of Vermont Program. 700 farm projects and 180,000 acres conserved with $140 million in public and private funding

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Farmland Access and Affordability

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  1. Farmland Access and Affordability Jon Ramsay – Director Farmland Access Program Vermont Land Trust

  2. Overview of Vermont Program • 700 farm projects and 180,000 acres conserved with $140 million in public and private funding • Three co-holders on state-funded projects: Agency of Agriculture, Land Trust, and VHCB • All conserved farms are in active agricultural use

  3. May 2004: Vermont adds affordability as a policy goal to the Farmland Conservation Program “Make reasonable efforts to assure that conserved farmland is accessible and affordable to future generations of farmers.”

  4. One tool to protect affordability:Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV) The “Option” replaces the “Right-of-First-Refusal.” Instead of easement holders required to match an offer, the holders have the right to purchase the conserved farm at agricultural value.

  5. How does the Option work? • Option not triggered by a sale to a family member or farmer. • Buyers who are “Qualified Farmers” earn at least 1/2 of gross income from farming and are exempt from Option. • If buyer is not family or a farmer, the owner of conserved farm provides copy of Purchase and Sale Agreement and Buyer's farm business plan to easement holders. • Holders have 30 days to decide to waive or give Notice of Intent to Exercise Option.

  6. Are farmers accepting the Option? • Vermont has 184 OPAV-restricted farms • Option was voluntary, but has become the standard in Vermont.

  7. Stewardship & the OPAV • Renninger Farm • VLT Exercised the OPAV and purchased the farm for over $100,000 less than an offer made by non-farmer • VLT resold the farm at agricultural value to beef producers searching for land

  8. Amending old easements to incorporate the OPAV • Graf Farm – OPAV purchase easement reconfiguration • Originally conserved in 1990

  9. Affordability and Configuring Farm Conservation Projects • Vermont’s Farmland Conservation Program historically included housing and farm buildings • Houses are biggest threat to affordability of conserved farms, many are now size capped • Adopting new affordability goal resulted in move to “bareland” configuration for some farm projects (e.g. excluding infrastructure) • However, housing on farms is very important to the long term viability of the farm • Allow for subdivisions of large conserved farms into smaller viable farming units. Farms are constantly expanding and contracting. Allows for more access and less costly for beginning farmers

  10. VLT Farmland Access Program • What are the goals of this program? • To facilitate the creation of diverse farm enterprises in Vermont • Provide farmers with access to good agricultural land • Land conservation, business planning, and long-term productive use of farmland are all important components of this program • Emphasis on food and fiber producers

  11. Farmland Access Strategies • Inventory of conserved lands • ROFR & OPAV • Build relationships, match farmers selling conserved farms with seekers • VLT-owned incubator farm for dairy, value-added dairy products and vegetable production • Create ownership opportunities using a variety of conservation and transaction tools, easement purchases, conservation buyers, lease to own

  12. Farmland Access – What we do • Search for farms suitable for diversified farm operations; secure funding, purchase them, conserve and sell at agricultural value • Assist farmers purchasing farms by providing interim financing and assisting in deal structure • We facilitate lease-purchase and long-term lease opportunities on land owned by us and by owners of conserved farms • We maintain a list of farmland seekers looking for farmland and contact them when we first hear about opportunities.

  13. Farmland Access ProjectsElmer Farm – MiddleburyVLT purchased farm, RFP, sold at agricultural value

  14. McAllister Farm – AthensVLT purchased farm, sold half to beginning farmers renting land, will sell remainder to them at time of conservation

  15. Leduc Farm – South BurlingtonVLT facilitated sale between retiring farmers and beginning farmers forming an LLC.

  16. Jasper Hill Farm Lazor Farm Brattleboro Farmers Market Champlain Orchards

  17. Contact Information: Jon Ramsay Vermont Land Trust www.vlt.org jramsay@vlt.org

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