Farmland Preservation Facts

10 Facts from the 2002 NASS Census of Agriculture

FACT #1. Between 1997-2002 Connecticut lost 12.08% of its farmland, the largest percentage loss of any state in the U.S.

FACT #2. Between 1997-2002 the greatest percentage of farmland losses occurred in Middlesex (-22%) and New London (-23%) counties.

FACT #3. Between 1997-2002 the greatest acreage losses occurred in Litchfield (-93,569 acres), Windham (-61,124 acres) and Hartford (-50,192) counties.

FACT #4. Between 1997 and 2002 Connecticut lost 700 farms of all types (15%).

FACT #5. Today Connecticut has 357,154 acres of land in 4191 farms.

FACT #6. 51% of Connecticut farmland is in dairy or dairy support; in 2003 there were 191 dairy farms remaining in Connecticut .

FACT #7. Greenhouse and nursery product operations account for 12% of CT farmland, making them the second biggest farmland user after dairy and dairy support.

FACT #8. There was an increase in the number of farms between 500-999 acres, whereas the number of farms in all other size categories decreased.

FACT #9. Hartford and New London Counties account for over half the total value of agricultural products sold in the state.

FACT #10. The average CT farmer is a 55.4 year-old white male who owns and operates a farm less then 100 acres and sells less then $9,999 worth of farm products each year. (77% of CT farms are under 100 acres in size; 67% of CT farms sell less then $9,999 worth of farm products each year; 69% of farms are farmer owned)

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Why Preserve Connecticut’s Farmland?

Connecticut is losing 7,000 to 9,000 acres of land in farms to other uses every year. Connecticut’s remaining 380,000 acres of farmland contribute to our health and well being in the following ways:

A $2.2 billion annual contribution to the state's economy
Guarantees a land base for long-term food security
A habitat for many species of wildlife
A natural purification system for our water supply
Provides protection against flooding
Offers scenic vistas and open space
A beautiful working landscape that also pays taxes, provides jobs, and contributes to the social vitality of our small towns
A buffer against suburban sprawl
The source of agricultural products from tomatoes to turf that are used at one time or another by every Connecticut resident Approaches to Farmland Preservation

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How The State Program Works

The State's primary mechanism for preserving farmland is the Connecticut State Farmland Preservation Program. This voluntary program relieves the pressure on farmers to sell their farms to developers by allowing them to sell their right to develop the land to the state instead. The farmers accept a deed restriction on their property permanently limiting non-agricultural uses. In return, the state pays the farmers an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the land for development purposes and the value of the deed-restricted land. Through this arrangement, the land is preserved for agricultural uses, farmers can continue to cultivate their land, and Connecticut’s citizens derive the aesthetic and tangible benefits of a working landscape. To request more information, contact Joseph Dippel, CT Dept. of Agriculture, FPP Director, 860-713-2531.

Benefits of the State Farmland Preservation Program

Click here to link to CT State Farmland Preservation Program

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How The Federal Program Works

The 2002 Farm Bill allowed for a dramatic increase in funding for the Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP). Through this program, applicants can request up to 50% matching funds for the preservation of farmland. In 2003, the Federal program awarded funds totaling $1.9 million for the preservation of 9 farms. Entities eligible to apply for FRPP matching funds include state programs, private land trusts, and municipalities. To request more information, contact Kip Kolesinskas, Natural Resource Conservation Service, FRPP Program Manager, 860-871-4047.

Click here to link to Federal Farm and Ranchland Protection Program

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Current Research on Farmland Preservation

A Call to Farms! A Mid-Decade Look at Connecticut's Agricultural
Lands 2005, WLA

Conservation Options for Connecticut Farmland, AFT 2004

Farming On The Edge, AFT 2003

Attitudes Toward Locally Grown, Quinebaug-Shetucket Corridor, 2003

WLA White Paper, 2000

Attitudes Toward Farmland Preservation, UConn 2000

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Recent Articles

"The Use of Conservation Easements in Municipal Land Use Review and Planning", R. Roberts & K. Slater, Jr.
Connecticut Lawyer, March 2006

"Our Farms, Our Heritage: TPL Works to Preserve New
England's Farms"
Trust for Public Land - New England

"Landmark Legislation for Open Space and Farmland Preservation"
The Habitat, Summer 2005
Newsletter of the CT Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands
Commissions

"Life On The State Farmland Preservation Waiting List"
CT Woodlands, Winter 2006
Magazine of the CT Forest and Park Association

"Creating a Local Farmland Preservation Program"
Philip Chester, AICP
Presentation at Southern New England Planner's Conference, 2005

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