Wonderful news just in from our friends at American Farmland Trust, “New York State’s Farmland Protection Program awarded $23 million to permanently protect almost 9,000 acres on 27 farms, bringing the total number of acres protected by the program to 72,668 acres.”

“We like to say, ‘No Farms, No Food’,” says American Farmland Trust’s New York Director David Haight. “If farmland is developed, we lose the opportunity to grow fresh, healthy foods here in New York. Protecting these farms strengthens New York’s food security and food system.”

This development comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent announcement of $2.6 million in matching funding available from the federal Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program to protect farmland in New York.

Less sprawl and more land capable of producing healthy food for generations to come...Bravo!

If you’d like to learn more about the efforts of AFT go to: American Farmland Trust: Saving the Land that Sustains Us