Why Protect Farmland?

Since the farmland in the western part of Montana will disappear at an astonishing rate, you may ask why agricultural land is important. In fact, some people think that farmland is not important - we can depend on farms and industrial agriculture more and more to produce food. There are several reasons why Montana prefers farms and meadows for present and future generations.

Community food security With rising oil prices, food shortages, and global climate change, we need to strengthen and maintain the ability to support ourselves and future generations.

Opportunities for Economic Development The local market for cultivating and processing food in the western Montana province is expanding and we are injecting more money into farmers, ranchers and rural areas. However, these growth markets maintain productivity and rely on land to be used in agriculture.

Agricultural land is limited and irreplaceable. Good soil takes thousands of years to produce, and only a small part of the soil has tops suitable for agriculture. Only 8% of the land in Missoula has agriculturally important soil. And most of them are located at the bottom of the valley just above the road to development. There is no comprehensive inventory, but many farms and meadows have been lost. We can not make good earth at all.

Effective use of taxpayers' dollar Local tax revenue generated by farmland is higher than government service revenue. On average, for each entry tax 1 dollar, the cost of the municipal residential area is $ 1.19, and the cost of the farm and the farm is $ 0.39.

Social, cultural and historical values ​​Working farms and meadows create a sense of place everywhere in Missoula and Western Montana. They are part of our heritage and are essential to our heritage

Ecological integrity Properly managed farmland provides ecosystem services such as flood protection, groundwater recharge, wildlife habitat, carbon pool, open space etc.

Protect farmland - Protect agricultural land of county from erosion through counties and state policies (eg protection of easement rights, trust of land). This will protect the capacity of the region to produce food in the future and reduce the vulnerability of food shortages that depend on the centralized supply chain. The Missouri State (MT) Community Food and Agriculture Alliance has received public support for local farmland protection policies over the past nine years. The Connecticut State Food Policy Council has also played an indispensable role in linking the interests of the environment and agriculture and forming an alliance of work sites.

The American Farmland Trust (AFT) informed Americans about the rapid depletion of agricultural land within the United States, the negative impact of soil erosion, and other threats to the viability of land agriculture. AFT conducts projects directly through cooperative organizations and individual landowners to demonstrate agricultural protection technologies and to support local, state and federal agricultural land protection policy and land use initiatives. The American Forestry Association (AFA) promotes conservation, wise management and enjoyment of rural and urban forest resources in the United States. The goal is to maintain and improve the health and value of trees and forests throughout the United States, and to attract and nurture the interests of citizens, industry and government.

In the era of segments that seems to have no end (eg, Counting Crows vs. Joni), we have to gather around the most important things that connect us all. For the American Farmland Trust this means supporting the farmers where food is grown, supporting farmers, and supporting food businesses creating jobs in our communities. Supporting companies from local farmers is an important action everyone can take to support New York's agriculture and food economy. Maintaining the farm economically viable is one of the best ways to keep the land in agriculture.