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“For nearly two decades, state and local communities have worked to protect key agricultural areas from urban sprawl,” said Mr. Grossi, a third-generation northern California rancher who has headed AFT since 1985. “Despite their best efforts, state and local farmland protection programs simply have lacked the resources to assure the continuation of agriculture near our growing metropolitan areas.
“The President and Congress are to be commended for supporting this long overdue initiative. This farm bill marks the dawning of a new era in federal farm policy an era in which farmers can produce for the marketplace and public support can be coupled to stewardship of the land.”
The farmland protection measure will provide $35 million from the Commodity Credit Corporation over three years to farmland protection programs in 18 states. Many of the programs are chronically underfunded. In a report last August, AFT found that three acres of prime and unique farmland — the most fertile, least environmentally sensitive land — are being urbanized for every acre saved. For every farmer who participates in a state or local farmland protection program, six are being turned away.
Virginia does not now have any farmland protection program that will benefit from this bill. Such programs generally mean the government purchases development rights directly from the farmer.
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