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BACKYARD MATTERS: State Investment in "Green Infrastructure" Good for Economy, Taxpayers
Tue, Jan 31, 2012
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Environmental protection programs often are the first casualty of states' efforts to combat fiscal challenges. Year after year they receive deep, disproportionate cuts in funding. Yet far from a budgetary burden, conserving America's natural resources offers a key for achieving lasting prosperity.

Let's look at one state that's doing the right thing—my home state New York.

Despite the need to close a $2-billion deficit in his 2011 budget, first-year Gov. Andrew Cuomo provided fair funding for state agencies that oversee New York's irreplaceable natural resources. He also maintained funding for the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF)—the state's chief means of creating parks, providing clean water and protecting farmland. And he established Regional Economic Development Councils to bring together environmental and economic interests to develop new strategies for creating jobs.

Gov. Cuomo intends to build on this strategy this year. In his recently released 2012 budget, he again proposes to keep environmental funding stable. Clearly, the governor realizes the Environmental Protection Fund creates jobs and complements capital investment in repairing and upgrading New York's deficient bridges, roads and parks. 

The governor also is aware of the considerable economic benefits New York derives from funding environmental protection. The Trust for Public Land has estimated that every $1 from the EPF leverages $7 in additional dividends to local communities. 

The damage caused by Hurricane Irene last fall underscores the urgency of preparing for future flooding. Conserving wetlands and waterfronts provides effective, inexpensive flood control. It's estimated that each acre of wetlands in New York furnishes $689,000 in annual storm-protection benefits, primarily by soaking up water. Wetlands also remove pollutants before they reach drinking-water supplies. The same goes for forests. Every 10-percent of a watershed's forest cover eliminates 20 percent of water-treatment costs.  

In addition to supporting America's $730-billion nature tourism industry, our magnificent natural resources enhance our quality of life—which in turn attracts new business. CEOs consider quality of life, including ample parks and open space, among the top priorities when considering where to relocate or start businesses.

I urge you to contact your governor and legislators. Recommend that they follow Gov. Cuomo's lead and make the environment the foundation of your state's economic future. You can send a similar message to your members in Congress. They are currently negotiating reauthorization of the U.S. Farm Bill, including the appropriation for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program—the federal government's chief means of preserving our nation's farmland. Let them know that at the very minimum, they should ensure that FRPP funding remains stable.

This is not a big ask—just 1 percent of total Farm Bill funding supports the FRPP—but it is a big deal. America continues to lose about 1 million acres of farmland a year, and the most productive and fertile land is disappearing the fastest. If we hope to feed ourselves, let alone growing populations in coming generations, Washington must make this minuscule investment.

Overcoming our perilous fiscal situation must remain the top priority for the foreseeable future. But the leaders in our capitols must realize that a healthy environment has an important role to play in ensuring a robust economic future for America.

AUDIO BLOG: Recognizing the Important Role of the Environment in our Economic Recovery
Fri, Jan 20, 2012
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This commentary by Ned Sullivan commending Gov. Andrew Cuomo for staying committed to environmental investments was featured on www.midhudsonnews.com in mid January, 2012:

"Cuomo's Environmental Investments"

AUDIO BLOG: Transit-Oriented Development is a Win-Win for our Riverfront Towns
Wed, Nov 23, 2011
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This commentary by Ned Sullivan describing the many benefits of transit-oriented development (TOD) was featured on www.midhudsonnews.com in mid November, 2011:

"Transit-Oriented Development"

BACKYARD MATTERS: Congress, Don't Short Change Our Family Farms
Mon, Nov 21, 2011
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Earlier this fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.8-million grant to Scenic Hudson, a private regional land conservation organization in New York's Hudson River Valley, to permanently protect 10 farms, among them major suppliers to greenmarkets in one of America's fastest growing metropolitan areas. Under the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), farmers receive cash they can reinvest in their operations. In return, they relinquish the land's development rights, so it will always be available for agricultural purposes.

The fruits, vegetables, meats and other foods produced by America's small- and mid-sized farms have a major role to play in stemming the obesity epidemic and alleviating mounting concerns about food contamination and security. The food they supply is diverse, tasty, nutritious—and above all, local. With 97 percent of our agriculture based on these smaller farms, they are essential for sustaining the nation's $369-billion agricultural economy, bigger than the GDP of nearly 200 countries. Yet every year, the country loses 3 million acres of its best farmland—primarily on family-run farms—a victim both of sprawling development and high land costs that put it out of financial reach of young farmers.

The FRPP should be a central player in protecting these farms, which actually produce more food per acre (either in tons or dollars) than their industrial-sized counterparts. Unfortunately, the existing federal Farm Bill, enacted in 2008, has allocated only $100 million per year on average for FRPP grants. This is just .02 percent of total USDA farm funding doled out each year. The lion's share of Farm Bill money goes to Midwest "factory farms" and commodities firms that are essentially middlemen. Even worse, instead of expanding or improving American agriculture—which has the capacity to meet so much more of our dietary needs—the Farm Bill's trade clauses promote imports. That's why apples in the local supermarket are just as likely to come from Chile as a nearby orchard.

The problems of protecting farms and farmland in the Hudson Valley serves as a microcosm of challenges faced nationwide. While its orchards and fields already provide much of the produce purchased by consumers at New York City greenmarkets and restaurants, it could do so much more. The city's unmet demand for regionally produced foods approaches $600 million annually. Yet between 2002 and 2007, the most recent data, the valley suffered a 10-percent loss in farmland, in part because older farmers retired and new, young farmers couldn't pick up the slack. The FRPP funds that are allowing Scenic Hudson to protect these 10 farms in turn will enable several young farmers to purchase the land they've been renting, providing a stable base for their operations. Other farm owners are planning to use the funds to increase their productive capacity. Without the FRPP, it's unlikely these transactions could have been accomplished.

The Special Committee on Deficit Reduction currently is looking for programs to cut. The Farm Bill, which is up for renewal next year, is in its crosshairs. With America's population expected to increase 29 percent by 2025, the need to preserve fertile land on our small farms has never been greater. In light of this and the stated goal of U.S. farm policy to "foster a family farm system of agriculture," Congress should make FRPP funding sacrosanct. By living up to these words, Washington can restore fiscal responsibility and help ensure a safe, nutritious food supply for future generations.

AUDIO BLOG: Natural Strategies for Boosting the Regional Economy
Thu, Nov 3, 2011
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This commentary by Ned Sullivan describing four strategies for boosting the economy through safeguarding our region's natural resources was featured on www.midhudsonnews.com in late October, 2011:

"Strategies for Boosting our Regional Economy"

BACKYARD MATTERS: Preserving Family Farms for Healthier Food -- and a Healthier Planet
Wed, Oct 19, 2011
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Earlier this month, on an idyllic fall morning in New York's Hudson River Valley, Northwind Farms in rural Red Hook was the site of an important announcement for this agricultural community. Ten farmers, leaders of the town and the directors of regional land trusts—Dutchess Land Conservancy and Scenic Hudson—gathered to hear an official from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service announce a $1.8-million grant that would support the preservation of nearly 700 acres of productive land on 10 valley farms.

The funding was a great cause for celebration. It's the final piece in a dynamic public-private partnership instigated by the farmers themselves, who had petitioned the Town of Red Hook to help them preserve their land. In response to their request, Scenic Hudson, the Dutchess Land Conservancy and the town worked together to come up with the funds and preservation plans to ensure these family-owned farms would continue supplying healthy food for generations to come by purchasing the development rights on these lands. Scenic Hudson provided $1.2 million, the town $600,000 and Dutchess Land Conservancy raised funds to cover the crucial transaction costs. This approach provides a direct infusion of capital to the farmers involved, enabling them to invest in the productive capacity of their farms. In several instances, the easements will allow young tenant farmers to acquire the land, offering more stability to their livelihood.

Union Square Farmers MarketFrom left, U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, Scenic Hudson President Ned Sullivan, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Astor Boozer, and Dutchess Land Conservancy President Becky Thornton address a group of officials, farmers and community leaders at the announcement.

Preserving farmland in a place like the Hudson Valley, the breadbasket of New York City, is of critical importance. Today nearly 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas, and our largest cities are increasing in population faster than the rest of the nation. Providing safe, secure and healthy food sources for all of these people depends on local farms and their high-quality soils. Yet in too many places, including the Hudson Valley, these "working landscapes" are severely threatened by sprawling development or, just as acute, a shortage of young farmers who can afford high land prices.

Recent data from the USDA shows that American agriculture is at a critical crossroads. Between 1982 and 2007, all of the contiguous 48 states lost agricultural land, 23 million acres in all. Making matters worse, what the USDA labels as "prime agricultural land"—whose soils are best suited for growing food—disappeared to development at a faster rate than non-prime agricultural land. Despite this, the most recent Farm Bill, enacted in 2008, allocated a meager $148 million per year for farmland conservation via the USDA's Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. (That's less than half of one percent of the total bill's funding.) In the meantime, people have begun to recognize the importance of creating regional "foodsheds" to meet growing dietary demands.

What's the advantage of a local "foodshed?" For starters, strawberries and broccoli grown down the road insulate us from global food emergencies and transportation disruptions. They also decrease the likelihood of food contamination. The federal Food and Drug Administration inspects less than one percent of foods entering the country. Even more compelling, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that of all the food-borne illnesses that afflict 48 million Americans annually, none have been traced back to small, family farms. Why? Local farmers know their livelihoods depend on ensuring their food is safe to eat. As a result, they're more reliant on best-management practices in the cultivation of produce and the care, feeding and processing of livestock.

Locally produced food also is better for us. Studies show that fruits and vegetables lose 40 percent of their nutritional value within three days of being harvested. At the same time, the greater our access to fresh produce, the less likely we are to suffer from diet-related illnesses such as obesity and diabetes—and the more likely our tastebuds are to be wowed. There's no flavor comparison between munching an apple just plucked from a tree and one flown in from Chile.

Now you know why the ranks of people interested in consuming locally sourced food have been swelling. Also on the upswing is the number of grow-it-yourselfers. The National Gardening Association estimated that between 2008 and 2009 seven million more households cultivated their own produce, either in backyards or community gardens, marking a 19-percent increase. (Perhaps the most unique of these new at-home gardeners is the author of batteryrooftopgarden.org, who happens to be a Scenic Hudson board member. His "farm" sits 35 stories above Manhattan, on a terrace outside his apartment. He created it in 2010 to show that a green roof is capable of producing an astonishing diversity and amount of food.)

So if you want to ensure your family eats healthy food, you have a stake in keeping local farms in business. Frequent farmers' markets, community supported agriculture operations and farm stands. Contact your legislators in Washington and urge them to back an increase in FRPP funding under the next Farm Bill, currently under negotiation. New York has three federal legislators on agricultural committees—Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Chris Gibson (who attended the USDA announcement in Red Hook) and Rep. Bill Owens. You also can urge your governor to boost funding for state farmland protection programs.

The American Farmland Trust has coined the phrase "No farms, no food." But the key to retaining our farms is halting farmland's vanishing act.