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Farmland Preservation Reform Bill Aimed At Sustaining Farm Communities
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The state’s farmland preservation program would continue to promote viable agricultural communities despite future funding concerns as part of legislation introduced Tuesday by Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster).
Under current law, farms that apply for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program are ranked on several criteria, such as the quality of the soils, development potential and conservation practices on the farm.
Senate Bill 1437 would shift the focus of the program from preserving the farms at greatest risk of conversion to farms with higher clustering potential to prioritize sustainable agricultural communities.
Sen. Brubaker noted that farmland preservation reforms are essential to ensure the program can continue to support the agriculture community despite uncertain future funding. The governor’s proposed budget would essentially eliminate funding for the program in Fiscal Year 2013-14.
“More than 2,000 farms are currently on the waiting list for the program, and funding is not readily available to purchase all of these easements even at current funding levels,” Sen. Brubaker said. “By shifting our focus to protect clusters of farmland, we can maximize the funds we have available and provide a coherent long-term plan that will sustain agricultural communities for generations to come.”
In addition to protecting Pennsylvania’s investment in farmland preservation, the legislation would also simplify the funding formula for the program and prioritize farms based on agricultural production. Under current law, agricultural production is almost entirely excluded from consideration, Sen. Brubaker said.
Pennsylvania’s farmland preservation program was developed in 1988 to help slow the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses to ensure a local supply of safe and affordable food. To date, the program has preserved 459,007 acres of farmland and 4,243 farms, making it the most successful program in the nation.
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3/12/2012 |
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