Clover Hill Farm on West Sorrell Hill Road in the town of Van Buren will never be anything but the rolling hills and beautiful pastures that it is today. Gary and Sharon Slate, owners of the 83-acre horse farm, have agreed to donate their land to the New York Agricultural Land Trust, ensuring that it will be conserved for eternity.
Recognizing the importance of their prime soils for agricultural production, the Slates were instrumental in advocating for the protection of their property.
“We’ve worked over the years to save, use and protect this contiguous property for agriculture,” the Slates said.
The New York Agricultural Land Trust (NYALT) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to conserve working farmland and promote a greater appreciation for the agricultural and forested lands and their associated natural resources that enrich our communities. This organization works with landowners that are interested in preserving their land for the next generation. A conservation easement is a legal agreement between the landowner and the organization that holds the easement, in this case, NYALT. The land can change hands, but it must remain undeveloped.
To promote this program, NYALT needs partners at all levels of government to carry out their mission. Onondaga County’s Agricultural Council is one of those important partners. Their focus is on a strong agricultural economy, as well as abundant farmland in agricultural production, and stewardship of the environment. The Ag Council contributed $25,000 to help with the costs associated with this project; like surveys, appraisals and legal fees.
Recently, County Executive Ryan McMahon, Chairman of the County Legislature Dave Knapp (Ag Council Co-Chair), along with representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension and NYALT presented the Slates with a sign to post on their land that states “Farm Protected by a Permanent Conservation Easement.” It is the first farm in the town of Van Buren to be added to the New York Agricultural Land Trust. Fortunately, it will not be the last as there is already another applicant that is starting the process to keep their land forever green.
“The agriculture industry is a critically important part of our local economy representing over $300 million dollars in economic activity every year. Protecting and preserving our farmland is important to my administration and exactly the type of thing our local Agriculture Council should be supporting,” McMahon said.
“We are very fortunate to have landowners like Gary and Sharon Slate that are so dedicated to keeping their land in agriculture that they are willing to donate their development rights, which provides a tremendous opportunity to conserve valuable farmland at a fraction of the cost that would be required to purchase those development rights,” said Knapp. “And having a land trust like NYALT, that is committed to preserving farmland and willing to work with landowners and hold and steward their donated easements, helps to protect the long term viability of our very strong agricultural economy.”
Onondaga County’s support for agriculture is unwavering. Each year, the county budgets an appropriation for the Ag Council to continue their important work. Since 1965, Onondaga County has lost half of its viable farmland to development. While there isn’t much we can do about the past, we can ensure there is future farmland for generations to come. To learn more about what the New York Agricultural Land Trust does, and to support their efforts, visit their website at nyalt.org.
