*LATEST: On March 12, SB207 passed the TN Senate! The House of Representatives will now be considering the bill over the last weeks of March*
Last year Agriculture and Forestry contributed an estimated $103 billion to Tennessee’s $930+ billion economy. Of the
10.8 million acres that is Tennessee, farms are stewarding 40.8% of the state’s land base.
Looking towards the future, we need to invest in keeping agricultural careers viable and possible. The average age of a TN farmer is 59. Beginning farmers of all ages cite that land access is their number one concern. UT has brought together data from across the country to show that the state is third fastest in the nation losing farmland to development, and that this rate is increasing. [UT Farmland Loss Data]
This is why ARCD started the Field School in 2015; launched TNFarmlink.org in 2017 to counter the lack of land access, and why we hold Women Preserving Farmland workshops through out the region. ARCD serves as the outreach office for conservation easements and has helped Land Trust for Tennessee, in particular, place easements on several farms [such as Wayne & Pam Hughes’ Rocky Field Farm].
We believe that many tools must be used to ensure a farming future. One is State Funding.
Governor Lee, himself a cattle farmer in Middle Tennessee, asked the TN Department of Agriculture and lawmakers to take further action to stem the loss of farmland. SB207/HB1325 (sponsors Johnson, Seal/Lamberth, Cochran) is currently going through the General Assembly. The bill establishes a Farmland Preservation Fund with an initial $25 million appropriation, to fund voluntary permanent conservation easements, held by a qualifying 501(c)3, like a land trust.
How do States benefit from Conservation Programs?
As of December 2024, 29 states operate and fund “PACE” programs, including Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado,
Ohio, and Pennsylvania. PACE stands for Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements. Altogether these have
paid an estimated 20,000 landowners to protect more than 3,000,000+ acres of farmland with a permanent easement
that allows for agriculture and conservation uses, such as those that uphold water quality, wildlife habitat, and forestry.
Beginning farmers in these states have been connected to more land options for getting started. [American Farmland Trust publication.]
There is so much demand by landowners to preserve their farmland that in some states for every 1 project that is accepted, 5 are waitlisted.
PACE programs funded by State dollars can be matched with federal NRCS dollars and private philanthropy dollars to make the funds go even farther.
All states have created programs that are “forever” easements, meaning the easement will stay with the property in perpetuity, no matter who owns the property in the future.
The conservation easement is a time-tested tool used by thousands of municipalities, states, and land trust organizations in the United States. The land deed is amended to restrict development while still allowing for agricultural uses and structures. It often includes allowance for new farm buildings and a homesite. Land under a conservation easement stays on local tax rolls and the landowner is free to sell or pass down the land to a new owner at any time with the conditions of the easement transferring along with the land. Many properties retain real estate value because of the open space, views, and utility for farm and forest. Conservation easements are common in Tennessee: of the 1+ million acres of land that is legally preserved, 203,113 acres are under a conservation easement.
How can TN create a Farmland Preservation Fund?
Strongly supporting this bill as a potential gamechanger for voluntary conservation, ARCD staff and Board Members have been meeting with elected officials over the past few months, and we are encouraged by their questions, engagement and support for the bill.
As the bill has progressed, so have its supporters. There is support from West, Middle, and East. The ARCD, along with the National Young Farmers Coalition, TN Farm Bureau, Land Trust for Tennessee, and American Farmland Trust, support this bill. It is TN Farm Bureau’s #1 legislative priority.
If you would like to reach out to your elected officials in the House, you can find their contact info here: https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/Apps/fml2022/search.aspx
We hope TN becomes the 30th state to enact state funding for farmland preservation and look forward to supporting the TN Department of Agriculture when it creates a transparent and strong program.
