Farms for the Future: Massachusetts - American Farmland Trust

Massachusetts’ Investments in Farmland Conservationreduce greenhouse gas emissions.Participating farmers are reimbursedfor the cost of materials,up to $30,000.Since 1999, the program hasfunded 267 projects statewide.These projects have rangedfrom the installation of animalmanure waste systems to pesticidestorage facilities to fencing tokeep livestock away fromwetlands and water supplies.Conservation practices likethese can help farmers reduceexpenses, provide valuable publicbenefits and, in some cases, commandhigher prices for products. These practicesalso help farmers comply with federal rules, such asthose that regulate animal feeding operations.Program SpendingMillions$18.0$16.0$14.0$12.0$10.0$8.0$6.0$4.0$2.0$0.0Since 1999, the program has awarded 267 grantsto farmers, totaling $2.3 million. Annual programspending has averaged about $270,000, and, overthe past three years, about 29 farms a year havereceived grants. 39 The 2008 Environmental Bondbill provides $3 million in bond authority for theprogram over the next five years.$9.0AEEP: Helping Farms Make Good NeighborsWater is a critical component of cranberry production. Tocontrol the water flow from a bog, cranberry growers oftenuse “flumes,” boards made out of steel, aluminum or concrete.After applying pesticides, growers will hold water in abog for a number of days until the pesticides become inactiveand can be released without threat of harm. During this time,it is important that there not be seepage through the flumes.AEEP funding has helped at least one cranberry grower withdeteriorated flumes. 41 Such assistance is helping cranberrygrowers make good neighbors.Demand for Conservation Cost-Share Assistance$15.6Program Demand$3.6 $3.2$5.5FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07Unfunded Applications to the Environmental Quality Incentives ProgramSource: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2008This program consistently receives two-and-a-halftimes the number of requests for eligible projectsthan can be funded. In 2008, the program receivedrequests for approximately $900,000 in cost-shareassistance with only $400,000 available.A particular strength of the AEEP program is itsability to complement federal funding for environmentalquality practices on farms, thus enablingthe completion of, for example, a costly manuremanagement system that otherwise afarmer could not have afforded.The USDA administers a programsimilar to AEEP known as theEnvironmental Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP). The program helpsfinance structural or managementpractices that promote environmentalquality and is consistently oversubscribedin Massachusetts. From2003 to 2006, there were 1,301applications to the program fromfarmers around the state—requesting$31.4 million in conservation costshareassistance—that wentunfunded. 40 The unmet demand forthis program suggests a need foradditional AEEP funding.American Farmland Trust15