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5 May 2002 farmland preservation report Page 5 E cetera ... Knight becomes NRCS chief; succeeds agency veteran Pearlie Reed WASHINGTON, DC - Bruce I. Knight, a South Dakota farmer and rancher and former vice president for public policy for the National Corn Growers Association, became chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (MRCS) effective May 6. He was appointed by Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman in March. Knight succeeds Pearlie S. Reed, a 34 -year veteran of the NRCS, formerly the Soil Conservation Service. Reed will be regional conservationist for the western region, which encompasses 10 states. Reed, well -known for his strong leadership in conservation and broad understanding of the relationship between land use and conservation, was appointed associate chief in 1994 and chief in 1998. Prior to 1994 he served as state conservationist in California where he developed a comprehensive soil and water conservation and resource development program for the state. a Knight has been a farmer and rancher since 1976 for a 1,500 -acre diversified grain and cattle operation using no -till and rest rotation grazing systems. Knight will oversee the 11,000- person agency with a budget of $1.1 billion. U.S. Supreme Court rules no taking in Lake Tahoe case The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6 -3 April 23 that a temporary ban on development around Lake Tahoe is not a takings under the Constitution, and does not require compensation from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The agency banned homebuilding around the lake in the early 1980s over concerns for the quality of Lake Tahoe's water, and a group of landowners sought $27 million in damages. The court affirmed an appeals court decision against the landowners in the two- decade legal battle. Local planning and environmental groups said the decision upholds local planning powers. A decision in California's high court-in March also stood hard against takings claims. The state Supreme Court upheld a San Francisco law enacted to address a severe shortage of affordable housing, that prevented residential hotels from converting units for tourist use. Continued from page 4 only remnant of constraint was a $360,000 cap on subsidies to an individual or entity. But a loophole promises the cap will loosen in practice. Small farm advocates are caught in a web of philosophical discord as smaller farms, too, are part of the subsidy- driven farm economy. "If it's subsidies or nothing, obviously I want to stay on the farm, so I will take the subsidies," said Rhonda Perry, a farmer and director of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, which represents more than 5,000 rural and farm families. "But the choice shouldn't be to either go out of business or take subsidies. It should be: Who are you going to sell to and who is going to give you the highest price ?" Could FPP funds go even higher? "Is it thinkable? I think it is," said Russ Shay on whether farmland preservation money coul4,,be increased in the next :farm bill, or,. receive a boost in the interim, if the farm bill is revisited before its five -year review is due. "It's up to land trusts and the programs to show there is a far greater demand than the funding — there is the opportunity to get even more funding." Recent history may be a guide. After the 1996 FPP funding was spent in half the time for which it was appropriated, there was legislation to expand the program from its initial $35 million over six years, to $55 million annually, a nearly 10 -fold increase. Ca. land trusts pack in agricultural easements DAVIS, CA — A study to be released by the University of California Agricultural Issues Center (AIC) reports that California land trusts, through both donated and purchased easements, Continued on page 6