December 20th, 2018
By Lori Sallet
Farm Bill Becomes Law Securing $2 Billion for Farmland Protection
“Today we celebrate for farmland. With the 2018 Farm Bill signed into law, we secure another $2 billion for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, which compensates landowners for committing to keep their land in agriculture. Those funds will help save some of the most important lands in this nation, essential to both the food supply and environmental health.
American Farmland Trust, the recognized national leader in farmland protection, has fought hard to secure federal funding to protect our nation’s farmland and ranchland since our founding in 1980. During this Farm Bill process, AFT targeted increased funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, making it our number one priority. AFT sincerely thanks the leadership of the Senate and House Agriculture Committees for addressing our priority and recognizing the importance of farmland and ranchland protection in passing the 2018 Farm Bill and the President for quickly making it law.
Though this Farm Bill is ‘evolutionary’ rather than ‘revolutionary,’ it nonetheless provides a much-needed degree of support and stability to a struggling farm community. Beyond this, the new money for farmland protection is a major victory for both farmers and the environment. AFT looks forward to working with the administration on its implementation.”
This statement can be attributed to John Piotti, president and CEO, American Farmland Trust
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American Farmland Trust is the only national conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting environmentally sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. Since 1980, AFT’s innovative work has helped to permanently protect more than 6.5 million acres of farmland and ranchland and led the way for the adoption of conservation practices on millions more. No Farms, No Food. Learn more at www.farmland.org.