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Every minute, America has been losing more than an acre per minute - much of it our best and most productive farmland near where most Americans live. In Rhode Island and across the nation, American Farmland Trust is a vital link between farmers, conservationists and policymakers, working to protect the best farmland, direct growth away from agricultural resources, provide healthy local food to all citizens, and help communities sustain local farms and farming.
 American
Farmland Trust and Land for Good’s Farmland
Advisors program is educating agriculture service providers to help the next generation
of farmers access land and help farm families facilitate the transfer to
the next generation. Farmland Advisors started in February with a webinar for
the program’s 80
participants, from New York and New England. The program is funded by a grant from the Northeast SARE Professional Development Program
and support from a Farm Credit
Northeast AgEnhancment grant. Participants represent land trusts,
beginning farmer organizations, extension offices, lending institutions and
local and state agencies.
 The November 6 election brought welcome news for New England’s farmland owners, as
voters in Rhode Island and Maine overwhelmingly supported ballot initiatives to
finance state farmland protection programs. In Rhode Island, nearly 70 percent
of voters approved $20 million in “Environmental Management” bonds, including
$4.5 million for farmland protection. And in Maine, voters approved a $5
million bond replenishing funding for the Land for Maine’s Future Program,
which has permanently protected more than 7,300 acres of productive farmland
around the state. “Landowners continue to rely on these programs to finance
retirement, transfer the farm to the next generation or expand the farm
business,” says Cris Coffin, New England Director for American Farmland Trust. “Voters
clearly understand that these programs are good investments in our environment
and economy.”
 A recent
retreat organized by American Farmland Trust brought together more than 50 of
the region’s leading farmland protection practitioners, including state agency
staff, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationists and
program managers, and land trust representatives, to brainstorm farmland protection
challenges and strategies and discuss the federal Farm and Ranch Lands
Protection Program (FRPP). Joining the group were New Hampshire Commissioner of
Agriculture Lorraine Merrill, Connecticut Commissioner of Agriculture Steve
Reviczky, and three guests from the national USDA-NRCS office, including
Richard Sims, NRCS Regional Conservationist for the Northeast, and Jeremy
Stone, the national FRPP program manager. Cris Coffin, American Farmland Trust
New England Director, notes that AFT is working to make this retreat an annual
event. “This kind of regional shoptalk is invaluable both in helping to
strengthen relationships and in advancing farmland protection innovations around
the region,” remarks Coffin.
 Voters in Rhode Island have a chance to support farmland
protection when they head to the polls on November 6. Question 6 is a referendum for
$20 million in Environmental Management bonds, including $4.5 million to
protect farmland. This funding will help the state leverage an equal
amount of federal funding through Farm
and Ranch Lands Protection Program funding, as well as municipal and
private funds. With only one-fourth of the state's farmland permanently
protected, the funding addresses one of the key goals identified by farmers in
the five-year Vision for Rhode Island
Agriculture– stopping the loss of productive farmland. Says American Farmland Trust New England
Director Cris Coffin, “Our studies show that investments in farmland
protection are typically plowed back in to the local economy by farm families
who use the proceeds of the sale of development rights to expand their farms,
grow their businesses and add jobs. A YES on Question 6 is good for the
environment and the economy.”
 The transfer
of farms to a new generation is one of the biggest challenges facing agriculture
in New York and New England. Farmland Advisors is a training program to help agriculture and
conservation professionals become an effective resource in helping farmers and
farmland owners as they seek access to land and navigate the complexity of farm
transfers. “Participants will learn about everything from farm succession
planning to farm linking, lease options and land conservation as a farm
transfer strategy,” said Diane Held, Senior New York Field Manager for
American Farmland Trust. “Land access and availability are increasingly
impacting farms and food systems in the region,” added New England Director Cris
Coffin, “Working with professionals across the Northeast will help to meet
these challenges at the state level.” Applications
are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is October 31.
 A
vibrant and viable food system in New England requires a supportive public
policy environment. For this reason,
American Farmland Trust is teaming up with the Conservation Law Foundation and
the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group to identify the policy
levers that will support improved farm profitability, expanded food production
and the agricultural infrastructure needed to improve regional food
resiliency. Drawing upon expertise and
experience of leaders and practitioners across New England, this two-year project will focus on federal, state and regional policy arenas, analyzing policy
barriers and gaps in five key areas and recommending where change is most
needed, at what level and scale, and what kinds of advocacy might be most
effective.
 Last winter, we were hired by the Rhode Island Agricultural Partnership—a collaborative of farmers, food producers, farm agencies, commodity organizations, agricultural non-profits, and state and local agencies in Rhode Island—to facilitate the development of a five-year Strategic Plan for the state’s agricultural sector.
At Rhode Island's Agriculture Day on May 12, we helped to present A Vision for Rhode Island Agriculture: Five Year Strategic Plan to Governor Lincoln Chaffee and state lawmakers. Thanks to the leadership of the Rhode Island Agricultural Partnership and the van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Rhode Islanders now have a plan that lays out how consumers, communities, lawmakers and state agencies can build a stronger and more resilient food system and agricultural economy. We are pleased to have been part of this process, and look forward to working with our Rhode Island partners and members in the months and years ahead on implementing its strategies, helping to make their vision a reality.
Read more about A Vision for Rhode Island Agriculture.
FederAl Farm Policy and The farm bill
What’s in the farm bill and why is it important? Find out what’s next for the farm bill and how we can make sure the legislation's promises are turned into programs on the ground.
Contact Us
New England Field Office
Cris Coffin, New England States Director
1 Short Street, Suite 2
Northampton, MA 01060-3952
(p)413-586-9330 ext. 29
(f)413-586-9332
ccoffin@farmland.org
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