PLAN gets $15K grant from national conservation organization
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The land trust Saratoga PLAN was awarded a $15,000 grant from American Farmland Trust to support farmland conservation educational events.
PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) is using the money for conservation workshops and similar activities that will inform farmers and landowners about options for permanently conserving their lands, accessing or transferring land, and succession planning.
Upcoming workshops are planned for 7 p.m. Monday at Saratoga Town Hall in Schuylerville and 7 p.m. on March 22 at Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, 50 West High St. in Ballston Spa.
The grant is one of seven totaling $88,000 the Farmland Trust has awarded to partners in the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network to support their work with farmers looking for land, and retiring farm landowners who wish to keep their land in farming.
The Network’s Farmland Finder website, which links farmers and landowners, has been used by more than 35,000 people. The Network offers free oneon-one assistance and has helped more than 130 farmers find land.
“A two-pronged approach is needed to help young and beginning farmers in their journey to finding land,” said David Haight, Farmland Trust state director, of Saratoga Springs.
“We need to make it easy for all farmers and landowners to get easy access to information. At the same time, we need experts who can help with the technical, legal, and financial issues that can stop even the most ambitious aspiring farmers in their tracks. These grant funds will go a long way in putting boots on the ground to support farmers and landowners.”
American Farmland Trust is the only national conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices, and keeping farmers on the land. Since 1980, it has helped to permanently protect more than 5 million acres of farmland and ranchland.
For information about the conservation workshops call (518) 587-5554, or go to: www. saratogaplan.org.