Holding Our Ground : Protecting America's Farms And Farmland

Farmers, who own or rent most of the private land in America, hold the key not only to the nation's food supply, but also to managing community growth, maintaining an attractive landscape, and protecting water and wildlife resources.While the issue of protecting farmland and open space is not new, the intensity of the challenge has increased. Farmers are harder pressed to make a living, and rural and suburban communities are struggling to accommodate increasing populations and the development that comes with them. Holding Our Ground can help landowners and communities devise and implement effective strategies for protecting farmland. The book: discusses the reasons for protecting farmland and how to make those reasons widely known and understood describes the business of farming, federal government farm programs, and the role of land in farmers's decisions analyzes federal, state, and local farmland protection efforts and techniques explores a variety of land protection options including purchase of development rights; transfer of development rights; private land trusts; and financial, tax, and estate planning reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the farmland protection tools available The authors describe the many challenges involved in protecting farmland and explain how to create a package of techniques that can meet those challenges. In addition, they offer appendixes with model zoning ordinances, nuisance disclaimers, conservation easements, and other documents that individuals and communities need to carry out the programs discussed.Holding Our Ground provides citizens, elected officials, planners, and landowners with a solid basis for understanding the issues behind farmland protection, and will be an invaluable resource in developing techniques and programs for achieving long-term protection goals.

Farmers, who own or rent most of the private land in America, hold the key not only to the nation's food supply, but also to managing community growth, maintaining an attractive landscape, and protecting water and wildlife resources.

While the issue of protecting farmland and open space is not new, the intensity of the challenge has increased. Farmers are harder pressed to make a living, and rural and suburban communities are struggling to accommodate increasing populations and the development that comes with them. Holding Our Ground can help landowners and communities devise and implement effective strategies for protecting farmland. The book:

• discusses the reasons for protecting farmland and how to make those reasons widely known and understood
• describes the business of farming, federal government farm programs, and the role of land in farmers's decisions
• analyzes federal, state, and local farmland protection efforts and techniques
• explores a variety of land protection options including purchase of development rights; transfer of development rights; private land trusts; and financial, tax, and estate planning
• reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the farmland protection tools available

The authors describe the many challenges involved in protecting farmland and explain how to create a package of techniques that can meet those challenges. In addition, they offer appendixes with model zoning ordinances, nuisance disclaimers, conservation easements, and other documents that individuals and communities need to carry out the programs discussed.

Holding Our Ground provides citizens, elected officials, planners, and landowners with a solid basis for understanding the issues behind farmland protection, and will be an invaluable resource in developing techniques and programs for achieving long-term protection goals.

Farmers, who own or rent most of the private land in America, hold the key not only to the nation's food supply, but also to managing community growth, maintaining an attractive landscape, and protecting water and wildlife resources. While the issue of protecting farmland and open space is not new, the intensity of the challenge has increased. Farmers are harder pressed to make a living, and rural and suburban communities are struggling to accommodate increasing populations and the development that comes with them. Holding Our Ground can help landowners and communities devise and implement effective strategies for protecting farmland. The book: discusses the reasons for protecting farmland and how to make those reasons widely known and understood describes the business of farming, federal government farm programs, and the role of land in farmers's decisions analyzes federal, state, and local farmland protection efforts and techniques explores a variety of land protection options including purchase of development rights; transfer of development rights; private land trusts; and financial, tax, and estate planning reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the farmland protection tools available The authors describe the many challenges involved in protecting farmland and explain how to create a package of techniques that can meet those challenges. In addition, they offer appendixes with model zoning ordinances, nuisance disclaimers, conservation easements, and other documents that individuals and communities need to carry out the programs discussed. Holding Our Ground provides citizens, elected officials, planners, and landowners with a solid basis for understanding the issues behind farmland protection, and will be an invaluable resource in developing techniques and programs for achieving long-term protection goals. Contents......Page 10 List of Figures......Page 12 List of Tables......Page 13 List of Photographs......Page 14 Preface and Acknowledgments......Page 16 The Importance of Farmland......Page 18 Making the Case for Farmland Protection......Page 32 Managing Community Growth......Page 48 The Business of Farming in America......Page 76 Farmland Protection and the Federal Government......Page 92 State Farmland Protection Programs......Page 104 Agricultural Zoning......Page 122 Controlling Sprawl......Page 150 The Purchase of Development Rights......Page 162 The Transfer of Development Rights......Page 188 Land Trusts......Page 210 Transferring the Farm and Estate Planning......Page 234 Creating a Farmland Protection Package......Page 252 Making the Connection......Page 268 Appendices......Page 278 Model Agricultural Zoning Ordinance......Page 280 Agricultural Use Notice / Nuisance Disclaimer......Page 287 Model Agricultural Conservation Easement......Page 289 Sample GovernorÌs Executive Order......Page 296 Sample Testamentary Easement......Page 299 Agreement Creating an Urban Growth Boundary......Page 301 Sample Easement Sale Application Ranking System and Application......Page 306 Cooperative Agreement for Public- Private Partnership in Farmland Preservation......Page 310 Sample Reimbursable Conservation Easement Acquisition Agreement......Page 312 Sample Assignment of Conservation Easement......Page 314 State Agricultural District Laws......Page 316 IRS Form 8283 for Easement and Property Donations and Bargain Sales......Page 317 Notes......Page 320 Glossary......Page 330 Bibliography......Page 336 Contacts......Page 340 Index......Page 342 About the Authors......Page 352 About Island Press......Page 3 Copyright Page......Page 7 Island Press Board of Directors 1997......Page 353