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May 2002 <br />farmland preservation report <br />Conservation Funding Authorizations <br />Conservation Reserve Prg (CRP) $1.5 billion <br />Wetlands Reserve Prg (WRP) $1.5 billion <br />Grasslands Reserve Prg (GRP) $254 million <br />Farmland Protection Prg (FPP) $985 million <br />Wildlife Habitat Incentives (WHIP) $700 million <br />Env. Quality Incentives Prg (EQIP) $9 billion <br />Water Conservation Prg $600 million <br />Conservation Security Prg $2 billion <br />Small Watershed Rehab. Prg $275 million <br />Desert Terminal Lakes $200 million <br />Source: Conference Committee report, Title 11- Conservation <br />Farmland Protection Program <br />Annual Authorizations <br />Fiscal Year Amount (in _millions) <br />2002 $50 <br />2003 $100 <br />2004 $125 <br />2005 $125 <br />2006 $100 <br />2007 $97 <br />Source: House web site <br />"This is a major breakthrough for the future <br />of our nation's farmland," said American <br />Farmland Trust President Ralph Grossi. "In <br />committing $1 billion for farmland protection, <br />Congress responded to the needs and demands of <br />farmers and ranchers nationwide. Farmland <br />Page 3 <br />to apply for FPP funds under the Agricultural <br />Risk Protection Act of 2000, which appropriated <br />$10 million for the FPP. Later, land trusts became <br />fully eligible regardless of location, and under the <br />new farm bill they, along with all applicants, have <br />an extra benefit: up to 25 percent of fair market <br />value can be donated by the landowner and count <br />toward the sponsor's 50 percent match. <br />"Before, they always had to provide a cash <br />match," a sometimes difficult fundraising <br />proposition for land trusts, said Russ Shay. <br />To date, about a dozen land trusts have <br />received funds under FPP, including several land <br />trusts in Maryland, which operate their own <br />programs with state funds under the Rural <br />Legacy Program. <br />Small farms, sustainability hard hit <br />Environmental groups were among the first <br />critics of the farm bill's return to a full focus on <br />commodity.support,..saying:the effect ofan 80 <br />percent increase in land conservation programs <br />will be compromised by provisions that funnel <br />more money to corporate and factory farm <br />operations. Sustainable farming, advocacy groups <br />say, took a big hit, loosing several key provisions <br />that would have helped smaller operations. <br />The Campaign for Family Farms called for <br />a rejection of the conference committee bill <br />because it threw out a ban on packer ownership <br />of livestock and restrictions on large payments <br />being made to factory farms and meatpackers. <br />The farm bill is "a travesty, a boondoggle <br />and an outrage," said Minnesota farmer Monica <br />Kahout, a member of the Land Stewardship <br />Project. "This farm bill supports corporate <br />livestock factories, pure and simple." <br />protection now has a seat at the roundtable of <br />agricultural policy -it's a major program Florida, California make big gains <br />addressing a significant national need." <br />Land trust participation <br />Land trusts in states that did not have <br />farmland preservation programs became eligible <br />According to Craig Evans, an advocate for <br />conservation efforts and farm operations in <br />Florida, his state will see possibly greater than a <br />Continued on page 4 <br />