Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County will host a workshop April 13 to continue educating farmland owners about farmland protection. This meeting will focus on preparing landowners to move forward with the process involved in farmland protection programs. We plan to have representatives of Cazenovia Preservation Foundation and the New York Agricultural Land Trust to answer questions about the purchase of development rights and agricultural easements.
The workshop will cover some basics of farmland preservation, conservation easements, landowner commitment, and available farmland protection programs. There will be emphasis on the NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets Farmland Protection Implementation Grant Program (FPIG). The pre-application is designed to screen farmland owners interested in applying for the FPIG Purchase of Development Rights program.
Farmland protection is about keeping farmland open and working for future years to come! It is a lengthy process and the goal of the workshop is to educate landowners and help them understand the commitment required to see it through to the end. It involves work on their part as well as necessary communication with family members and business partners. Farmland protection is about planning the future of the farm.
The workshop will be held Wednesday April 13, 2016 at the Madison County CCE office, 100 Eaton Street, Morrisville. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the program runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Please register by contacting Katherine Brosnan at 315-684-3001 ext. 100 or email kmb279@cornell.edu. For more information, visit www.ccemadisoncounty.org.