CALDWELL, Idaho—A national expert on farmland preservation told Idaho residents that the need to save farm ground is probably more urgent than they realize.
“It’s probably later than you think, the urgency,” Mike McGrath, the architect of Delaware’s farmland preservation program, told people during public events in Boise and Caldwell.
He also told them, “A bad farm is better than a good subdivision.”
Delaware’s program, started 20 years ago, uses voluntary agricultural easements to save farm ground in perpetuity. More than 808 farms have participated in the program, which has preserved 120,000 acres or one-quarter of the state’s total farmland.
McGrath said preserving that much farmland in perpetuity has resulted in more farm-related businesses building in the state because they are assured that land will be in farming forever.
The success of the program tells farmers and agribusinesses, “Agriculture is here to stay,” he said. “That makes a huge difference.”
McGrath’s presentations were hosted by the Treasure Valley Food Coalition, which is sponsoring a year-long effort to explore ideas to save farm ground in southwestern Idaho.
Source: www.capitalpress.com