Land Trust and Cornell Cooperative Extension Launch Farmland Protection Partnership
03/17/2009
This formal partnership comes on the heels of the organizations’ successful collaboration to permanently protect Hallpine Farms in early January 2009. Owners Dale and Karen Hallings worked with the Land Trust and CCE of Yates County to conserve their 219 acre farm in the Town of Milo through the sale of a conservation easement, which is now held by the Land Trust. Funding for the project was provided by New York State’s Department of Agriculture & Markets with additional support from the Partridge Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio.The partnership has already secured funding for the purchase of a second conservation easement on more than 500 acres of farmland adjoining Hallpine Farms. During the coming months, additional farmland protection projects will be launched in both Yates and Ontario County. Also in the works is a series of educational workshops on conservation easements.
“This partnership is a great opportunity for us,” said Land Trust Executive Director Andrew Zepp. “We worked closely with Cooperative Extension to complete the Hallpine Farms project, and this next step will provide both organizations with additional capacity to undertake more projects like this.”
“The State’s Farmland Protection Implementation Program is fairly complex and time consuming; however, the potential long-term benefits for farmers and the community are tremendous,” said Peter Landre, executive director of Yates County Extension. “We have created a unique partnership and process in the county to accept applications from interested farmers and navigate through the program as efficiently as possible.”
The new initiative will involve a number of staff members and volunteers but will be spearheaded by Jamie Hawk, a Yates County resident who has been hired as a joint staff member of both the Land Trust and Cooperative Extension. For the Land Trust, Hawk will take the lead on a number of farmland protection projects in several Finger Lakes counties while also expanding land protection efforts within the Keuka Lake Watershed.
Through Cornell Cooperative Extension, Hawk will also provide staff support to Yates County’s agriculture and farmland protection board and advance other Extension programs related to the sustainability of agriculture in the county.
Hawk brings a diverse background to his new position. He has most recently served as Yates County Extension’s sustainable viticulture program director. Earlier he was employed as research coordinator and assistant vineyard manager for Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport. Hawk also served in the Peace Corps in Zambia.
To date, the Finger Lakes Land Trust has permanently protected more than 10,000 acres across the region through conservation easements as well as the establishment of public conservation areas and the provision of technical assistance to local municipalities and non-profit organizations. The Land Trust was established in 1989 and has offices in Ithaca and Canandaigua. Additional information about the Land Trust and conservation easements may be found on its web site (www.fllt.org) or by calling its Ithaca office (607) 275-9487.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Yates County (CCE) provides educational and program support to the Yates County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board. CCE is also the county’s link to Cornell University and the Land Grant System, providing timely, research-based information and expertise to solve real-life problems in the areas of agriculture, natural resources, youth and family development. For more information on CCE and its efforts to secure Yates County’s farmland, visit their web site (http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/yates/AFPB.html) or call the CCE office at 315-536-5123.
