Gov. Rell: State Will Bond $5 Million for Farmland Preservation | CT Environmental Headlines

Farmland Preservation Funds Expected to Buy Development Rights for 10 More Farms in 2009 | CT Environmental Headlines: Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced today that $5 million for farmland preservation is expected to be approved by the State Bond Commission at its meeting on December 12.

“Farmland remains one of Connecticut’s greatest resources and is critical for our economic future. That became tremendously evident this summer when record gas prices sent grocery bills soaring. Families found some relief with fresh locally grown food available at farmers’ markets across the state and at other outlets,” Governor Rell said. “Keeping farmland intact ensures that our farmers are able meet those needs while preserving our agricultural heritage and a very special way of life.”

The $5 million is the latest lump sum allocation for the state’s Farmland Preservation Program, which is administered by the Department of Agriculture. The funds are used to buy development rights to farms – placing a permanent restriction on the use of the land. The land can never be used for non-agricultural purposes and farms will stay under private ownership and continue to pay local property taxes.

The goal of the program is to preserve 130,000 acres of farmland with 85,000 acres dedicated to growing crop. To date, the state has preserved more than 30,000 acres on nearly 230 farms. The new funds are expected to allow the state to buy development rights for 10 more farms over the next several months.

State Agriculture Commissioner F. Philip Prelli said that the majority of the acreage preserved is considered prime farmland. In many cases, the state attempts to preserve land contiguous or clustered near other farmland to create a viable farming community.

“Connecticut farmers are resourceful, innovative and have survived because they have the ability to adapt to the changing times,” Commissioner Prelli said. “Agriculture contributes more than $2 billion to our state’s economy. Our small state continues to have a huge impact on many of the commodities grown in the Northeast. We have some of the top producing poultry farms in the nation and our orchard crops and greenhouse plant industry are consistent leaders in the New England.”

The Governor and Commissioner noted that farmland preservation also results in many environmental benefits by conserving key wildlife habitat and providing flood control in certain areas.

“There are also so many intangibles. It is what we feel as much as what we see when take a peaceful drive through the Connecticut countryside,” Governor Rell said. “The historic stone walls that cross through fields and forests remind us of Connecticut’s rich agricultural past – one certainly worth preserving for future generations. We must honor that past and safeguard our future.”