Over 100,000 Acres of Farmland Are Now Protected From Development in NYS

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

For over a decade, the Department of Agriculture and Markets has been working to protect farmland from commercial and urban development.

As of now, over 100,000 acres have now been protected through New Yorks Farmland Protection and Implementation Grant Program.

Richard Ball, the commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Markets describes the program as a reinvestment.

“It’s a legal contract basically and it says that we’re going to sell our development rights for x amount of dollars per acre and we create thereby in an easement on that farm it cannot be subdivided you can’t build houses on it you can’t put commercial buildings on it etc…,” said Commissioner Ball.

The hope is that protecting the land and making sure it stays as farmland ensures that future generations can prosper. This is a daunting task when as of late more and more have been leaving farming for other careers.

“We estimate a high percentage of farms actually don’t have a next generation. For whatever reason sometimes because you know they choose other careers or because the operation isn’t big enough to support multiple families this is a way to overcome that,” said Commissioner Ball.

In the Genesee Valley especially, conservation efforts have been paramount. According to Ben Gajewski, the executive director of the Genesee Valley Conservancy just under a fifth of the protected acreage is here in our area.

“Genesee Conservancy has helped protect more than 18,000 acres through the state program It’s about 19% of the statewide total right here in the Genesee Valley,” said Gajewski.

The Genesee Valley Conservancy has been partnered with the state for years, helping to identify key areas that are at the highest risk and the most valuable to protect.

“So we’re really being very strategic we’re not trying to affect just any acre anywhere we’re really trying to invest in the most important agricultural soils and see that those are protected because that is the core that will you know support the broader industry,” said Gajewski.

Source: rochesterfirst.com