Support SB 2099 to address Farmland Loss in Tennessee
Southeast Tennessee Young Farmers Chapter is asking for your help to secure access to farmland is the number one barrier to entry for young farmers. This is compounded when poorly planned development pushes up land prices and moves farmland out of production permanently. Tennessee ranks third in the nation in agricultural land lost to real estate development, with current estimates at 275 acres lost each day. If we want a future for young farmers, we must slow farmland loss and increase pathways for land access for young farmers.
The Senate Energy, Agriculture, and Natural Resources Committee is meeting soon with the main agenda item to discuss SB 2099 the Farmland Preservation Fund Bill. Please contact members of this committee and encourage them to support this proposal.
We currently support this bill because we feel strongly that farmland loss needs to be addressed and we hope that the Department of Ag. will consult with other states and experts in the rule making process.
We suggest the following to ensure that the bill is the most efficient use of taxpayer money:
The favoring of permanent farmer contracts/easements that do the most to protect farmland;
An Adjusted Gross Income cap for farmers in the program - wealthy landowners already have options to donate easements and benefit from federal income tax breaks, lower income farmers cannot benefit from those same incentives;
Payback of benefits (including interest) if a farmer chooses to be released from the contract in the case of death or disability. Farmland protection programs like this are entered into by families who agree on the desire to protect their land. Families should not be able to benefit from the state fund and then be released to turn around and sell their property for development - that negates any benefit in affordability for young farmers and it wastes taxpayer money.
Allocation of a portion of funds to support and more fully develop land linking programs in the state such as TN FarmLink and the UT Manage Farm Succession program;
Continued annual funding to truly stem the tide of farmland loss.
Please call your representatives in Nashville to ask for their support - especially if you have a senator on the above mentioned committee. You can find your representatives and their contact information at www.capitol.tn.gov.