Dear Assemblymember/Senator (Last name),

I am writing to ask you to support Assembly Bill A8026 / Senate Bill S6360 which is legislation that would reduce the current required acreage to form an Ag District from 500 to 250 acres. The impact of this modification would be felt significantly in the lower Hudson Valley, Long Island, as well as in upstate New York. In 1950, the number of farms in Rockland County decreased from 406 farms covering 17,630 acres, to only five production farms covering 520 acres in 2000. To this day, we are still losing valuable farmland across the state as the development pressure and land prices increase due to swelling population.

By reducing the minimum requirement for an Ag District to 250 acres, this will prove to be a much more realistic and attainable number for smaller counties like Rockland since there is not enough remaining farmland acreage to meet the current requirements. This is important because an agricultural district encourages and protects farming by assessing farmland based on its agricultural value rather than market value. As described in the Assembly bill, a Suburban Agricultural District would protect smaller farms located in suburban areas from “overly restrictive local laws, government funded acquisition or construction projects, and private nuisance suits involving agricultural practices in the districts.”

Rockland Farm Alliance (RFA) advocates for sustainable agriculture in Rockland County as well as the Lower Hudson Valley. Cropsey Community Farm was brought back into production back in 2010 by RFA and is one of potentially an infinite number of farm revitalization stories that could be seen throughout New York State. Its land-use model has been deemed “cutting-edge” by the Hudson River Valley Greenway. Shane Hardy who is the Farm Manager at Cropsey Community Farm, is a Rockland County native, who upon graduating Ithaca College, went on to work at Cayuga Pure Organics in Ithaca NY, eventually becoming the crop manager of over 500 acres. His is a typical story of how, even in a peri-urban county like Rockland, we still have a deep appreciation for nature and will seek opportunities to produce food in a sustainable manner. To continue cultivating stories like Shane’s, protecting farmland in suburban communities has never been more critical. It has been shown to increase property values, create jobs and educational opportunities, while providing a supply stream of locally grown produce to the community.

Reducing the minimum acreage to form an Ag District would be critical to reviving the farming tradition of Rockland, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk as well as create additional Ag Districts in Upstate NY. Upstate New York currently has established Ag Districts but will profit from this amendment because now they can create and add more land to existing Ag Districts, thus allowing for greater land productivity. This is not just about making locally grown food available to the community, or preserving open space and education opportunities for land stewardship. This is also about cultivating the roots for stable local economies and improving the overall health and quality of life for all the constituents.

Sincerely,

(Signature)

Name