Farmland
The agricultural industry, farmers, and farmland are all vital assets to the Highlands region. The Highlands harbors the most productive unirrigated soils in the country, perhaps the world. Farmland supports biodiversity and feeds millions in the region, while being an economic engine for all four Highlands states. As much of the nation is clamoring for local, sustainably harvested food, an integrated working landscape will be even more critical to the quality of life in Highlands communities. Protecting farmland through economically and environmentally sustainable agriculture is a key way to ensure long-term viability of the agricultural industry, and thereby promote long-term protection of prime soils and open spaces. In order to do this, conservation organizations in the Highlands are working to support farmers, help transition where possible to sustainable and organic production in order to boost revenues, and connect land owners with farmland protection programs to augment farm incomes. There are even potential roles for farms in offsetting carbon use and ameliorating climate change impacts through sustainable practices. The US Forest Service’s agriculture lands protection priority model had four component factors: prime agricultural soils, cultivated lands, Agricultural Security Areas, and preserved farms.
Facts and Figures
How much is there in the Highlands?
- Loss of thousands of acres per year
- Smaller than average farms (mostly under 50 acres)
- Half of the PA Highlands are in agriculture
- 9,550 protected in NJ
- 6,500 protected in NY; 60% are on prime soils
- 111,600 acres of prime soil in developed uses in NY-NJ
- The Rodale Institute and Glyndale, two of the global leaders on sustainable agriculture are located in the Highlands
Threats
- Development and conversion
- Famers are getting older without a new generation of farmers
- Increased industrialization of agriculture
- Poor federal subsidies for local production
- Competition with ethanol production
- Loss of local threshold for viable agricultural production
Strategies for protection
- Farmland protection through easements (federal programs like HCA, several under the Farm Bill, some state county programs are robust in PA and NJ)
- Payments to farmers for habitat protection and enhancement
- Agricultural security areas and other planning tools like TDRs can help protect rural community character
- Building support for locally produced crops
- Connecting people to where their food comes from
- Cost of community services suggest that preserving farmland and open space costs
- Less than the revenues development might bring in
