In response to the growing interest among local farmers in New York State's Farmland Protection Implementation Grants (FPIG) Program, and due to increasing concerns about the loss of valuable farmland to development in Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has initiated, with approval from the Jefferson County Board of Legislators, a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program for Jefferson County. Agriculture is a strong compont of Jefferson County's economy, while providing rural character that adds to the region's quality of life. Approximately 40% of Jefferson County's land is in agricultural use. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service shows in 2006 that there were 970 farms operating in jefferson County on 323,600 acres of land. To see current figures visit the NYS Department of Agriculture's website.

The goals of the County's farmland protection program and specifically PDR program are:

1. Retain a critical mass of agricultural land needed to support farming and agribusiness.

2. Preserve the best land first

3. Support the protection of farmland that will enable agriculture to remain a good steward of our natural resources.

4. Protect the quality of life and rural character that is associated with active farms.

In order to implement a transparent system to objectively select farms to be protected, the AFPB contracted with American Farmland Trust to design a pre-application process and establish a ranking system to objectively select farm applications to submit to NYS's FPIG.

At no time is there a guarantee that a farm selected from the pre-application process and submitted to NYS's FPIG program will receive funding. The process is highly competitive. Jefferson County's program will be based on the availability of funding from NYS. Farms interested in the FPIG program must meet all eligibility criteria established through the pre-application process and demonstrate a commitment with moving forward through the easement establishment process should an application be submitted and awarded.

Here are important documents needed for consideration of entering the pre-application process:

Round I (2008) Pre-Application Press Release
Round I (2008) Cover Letter for Pre-Application
Jefferson County PDR program Pre-Application Form
Jefferson County Pre-Application Ranking Criteria

For more information about Jefferson County's PDR program, please contact any of the following:

Jay Matteson, Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation, phone (315) 782-1806, email: coordinator@comefarmwithus.com

Andy Nevin, Jefferson County Planning Department, phone (315) 785-3144

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at (315) 788-8450

Brian Wohnsiedler, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District. phone (315) 782-2749

The following Land Trusts have expressed interest in working with agricultural landowners interested in Jefferson County's PDR program:

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