The Working Lands Alliance, a project of American Farmland Trust, released its updated educational guide, Conservation Options for Connecticut Farmland. The comprehensive guide, produced in partnership with Connecticut Farmland Trust, has become a go-to resource for landowners, land trusts, and municipalities in Connecticut interested in protecting their farmland.
“Protecting our farmland in Connecticut has never been more important. With this updated educational guide, we can be sure that our landowners, land trusts and municipalities have the tools and information they need to permanently protect the prime farmland resources in all of our communities – urban, suburban and rural. Our farmland is the cornerstone of our quality of life here in Connecticut, and we hope this revised guide will stimulate many more efforts to protect our working lands across the state”, said Lisa Bassani, Project Director of the Working Lands Alliance.
The newly-revised guide provides updated information on federal and state farmland protection programs and answers questions landowners may have about protecting their land with an agricultural conservation easement. The guide also includes information on tax considerations and estate planning, as well as extensive information on grant programs and other resources needed to make farmland preservation a reality. The case studies in the guide highlight some of the most innovative and effective farmland protection efforts happening in the state.
“Connecticut Farmland Trust is pleased to partner with American Farmland Trust to produce a new edition of Conservation Options. The publication has become an invaluable tool for us when talking with farmers and other landowners on how to best protect their land,” said Elisabeth Moore, Executive Director for Connecticut Farmland Trust.
Conservation Options for Connecticut Farmland, previously revised and updated in 2006 and 2009, is currently in its fourth edition. Over more than a decade, this guide has been an effective educational tool for numerous agencies and organizations throughout the state, such as the CT Department of Agriculture, USDA-NRCS, Connecticut Farmland Trust, and numerous land trusts. It has been used extensively to educate landowners and land trusts about the many options available to successfully protect the farmland parcels that define our communities.
The project was funded by matching funds from the Connecticut Department of Agriculture through the Community Investment Act. The Connecticut office of the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services also provided funding for the project.
To obtain hard copies of ‘Conservation Options for Connecticut Farmland’ please contact Lisa Bassani at lbassani@farmland.org or contact the Working Lands Alliance at 860-683-4230.
Electronic copies of the guide may also be downloaded here.
