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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL Making the Case for Agriculture Economic Natural resource protection Wildlife habitat Rural heritage Fiscal

LOCAL Planning for Agriculture: Land use policies Economic development programs FARMING IS A BUSINESS!!

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

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

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 Carroll County

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

REGIONAL What’s Happening Around the Southeast

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

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

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

NATIONAL Farmland Protection Farm Bill

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

Sample State PACE Program Activity (2006) StateAcresEasements$ Spent (M) Pennsylvania318,350 2, Colorado244, Vermont113, California 32, Delaware 79,

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

A New Framework for U.S. Farm Policy

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

Gerry Cohn: Technical info: