Vermont Housing & Conservation Board - Vermont Legislature

CONSERVATION PROGRAMSThe cumulative impact of 25 years of vhcb investments in Vermont’sagricultural sector, working forests, natural areas, historic resources andrecreational lands has complemented the Board’s affordable housingmission, helping to build vibrant communities, bolstering local and regional economies,revitalizing historic downtown buildings, and contributing to communityhealth and wellness. Conserving 400,000 acres of land has secured food andforest productivity, enhanced the Vermont brand, provided outdoor recreationopportunities for visitors and residents, protected wildlife habitat, and createdopportunities for renewable energy production. The vhcb Farm Viability programhas a strong history of increasing the profitability and production of Vermont farmsand ag-related businesses, having served 439 farms and ag-related businesses inthe program’s 10-year history.During fiscal year 2012, vhcb committed funds to conserve 25 farms. vhcbinvestments also protected ten conservation properties and contributed to thepurchase and/or restoration of two historic buildings. Over this same period,vhcb’s strong public/private conservation partnerships leveraged an additional$9.2 million in federal funding, private foundation funding, bargain sales and localfundraising, multiplying the impact of the state’s investment.Recovery from Tropical Storm Irene continues. vhcb and its partners areassisting farmers devastated by Irene and working with landowners and communitiesto conserve land along river corridors and in floodplain areas. The destructionbrought by of Irene illuminates the challenges presented by global climate changeand highlights the need to prepare for future storms by limiting development inkey areas, and by maintaining healthy forests, wetlands, and floodplains so thatsurface water runoff can be slowed and absorbed.AGRICULTURAL LAND CONSERVATIONDespite continued challenges in the dairy sector due to volatile milk pricesand high input costs, Vermont’s agricultural economy is in the midst of a renaissance,fueled by creative agricultural entrepreneurs working to meet the growingconsumer demand for healthy, locally produced food. The ten-year vision forVermont’s food system presented in the Farm to Plate Initiative and the WorkingLandscape Action Plan have engaged hundreds of citizens and multiple partnersin a collaborative effort to strengthen our agricultural and forest economies whilestepping up the conservation of the working landscape. vhcb and its farmlandconservation partners assist increasingly diverse farm operations, ranging fromconventional and organic dairies, to orchards, vineyards, beef farms, diversifiedlivestock and vegetable operations, crop farmers and csas (community supportedagriculture operations).Farmers sell conservation easements to help facilitate transfers, both within thefamily and to new farm buyers (more than one-third of all projects), to pay downdebt, and to expand and diversify their operations.The federal Farmland Protection Program administered by the USDA NaturalResources Conservation Service continues to provide a key source of matchingfunds for all of vhcb’s farmland conservation projects, providing roughly half ofthe funding for every conserved farm.s Cy and Andrea Nelson worked with the VermontLand Trust, The Nature Conservancy and theVermont Fish and Wildlife Department to purchase583 acres of the conserved Johnson dairy farm inCanaan. A 266-acre Wildlife Management Areawith public access is established along 6 miles ofConnecticut River frontage.Fiscal Year 2012CONSERVATIONState Funding CommitmentsAgricultural Land:$2,616,79425 farms; 4,890 acresNatural Areas, Recreational Lands,& Historic Properties:$1,372,48510 projects; 1,104 acres2 historic propertiesFederal FundSCaleb Kenna/Vermont Land Trust photoUSDA Natural ResourcesConservation Service Farmand Ranchland Protection Program:$3,969,2505 / Celebrating 25 Years