Leahy Proposes Boost In Farmland Protection Efforts - Initiative Will Help Fulfill President's Budget Call For Expansion Of Leahy Program

February 01, 1999

WASHINGTON (February 1) As President Clinton unveiled his 2000 budget today with a sizable boost in funds for farmland protection efforts Sen. Patrick Leahy said he will introduce legislation Tuesday to extend and expand the successful Farmland Protection Program which helps farmers shield their land from development pressures.

The bill proposed by Leahy, joined by Sens. James Jeffords (RVt.), Robert Torricelli (DN.J.), and Mike DeWine (ROhio), would reauthorize the Farmland Protection Program an initiative created by Leahy in the 1996 LugarLeahy Farm Bill and boost its funding to $55 million a year. The 1996 Farm Bill allocated $35 million to the program for the past two years, but those funds have been spent while a huge demand has grown for the assistance the program offers. President Clinton, in his budget submission released today, proposed $50 million for the Farmland Protection Program in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Farmland Protection Program is designed to offer farmers and ranchers a financial incentive to keep their land in farming when faced by financial pressure to sell their land to developers. Development pressure frequently pushes up the value of agricultural land beyond its agricultural value, threatening family farmers who often have no choice but to sell of their land. The Leahy program provides federal matching grants to state and local conservation organizations to purchase easements to keep farmland from being developed.

"We are losing farmland in Vermont and across the country at an alarming rate," said Leahy, a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. "We need to step up our efforts to halt this disturbing trend before too many of America's farms are permanently transformed into asphalt jungles. One of the best ways to keep sprawl from spreading is to keep farmers in the business of farming. Our bill aims to do just that."

In Vermont, farmland protection efforts have already achieved significant results: More than 78,000 acres of Vermont farmland have been protected on more than 220 Vermont farms. Throughout the nation, the Farmland Protection Program has helped conserve nearly 120,000 acres of farmland. Despite this progress, Leahy said, America is still losing nearly one million acres of farmland each year. And in Vermont, thousands of acres of farmland remain vulnerable to development, but farmers who want to take advantage of the Farmland Protection Program have not been able to do so because of insufficient funds.

The President's request for $50 million for the Farmland Protection Program is part of the Administration's Lands Legacy Initiative. This comprehensive initiative also includes $50 million for the Forest Legacy program (created by Leahy in the 1990 Farm Bill) and an identical amount for the Land and Water Conservation Fund state grants program. These programs provide new tools to states and local governments to conserve open space and prevent forests and farmland from being converted to other uses. Last year, Leahy pushed for full funding of these programs in the 2000 budget.

Contacts: Gus Seelig or Paul Hannan, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board: 802.828.3250