Most of the country’s original colonies are urging the federal government to preserve and protect our nation’s farmland.

“Protecting farmland for future agricultural use is of utmost importance to every citizen of the United States… so critical to maintaining the future viability of our agricultural sectors and rural communities,” said agriculture commissioners and officials from
13 states in a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Of those 13 states, 11 were among the original colonies, which actually became 18 of our present day states. They include Connecticut, Deleware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The others that signed the letter are Ohio and Michigan.

American Farmland Trust (AFT) coordinated the letter commenting on the federal Interim Final Rule regarding the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), and AFT Senior Director of Farmland Protection Programs Bob Wagner says the states signing the letter represent over 70 percent of all the acreage protected under state farmland protection programs. “These states recognize that the federal government has been a key partner in helping protect farmland since 1995, and they are offering improvements to the FRPP program so that it can be most effective and efficient,” said Wagner.

While there are differences in agricultural practices by the states in the region, the letter identified common issues of concern, and asked that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) allow the states maximum discretion to implement FRPP as Congress directed in the 2008 Farm Bill.