Georgia Farmland Conservation Act signed by Governor Kemp

Creation of Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund will protect critical acres of Georgia’s agricultural lands

ATLANTA (April 18, 2023) Georgia has a new tool in the toolbox as it looks to protect significant acres of our state’s critical farmlands. With increased development threatening Georgia’s agricultural lands, the Georgia General Assembly made conservation a top priority during the 2023 legislative session.

During the final days of the session, the Georgia Legislature overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 220, the Georgia Farmland Conservation Act, which will offer farmland owners a financial incentive through the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program to conserve lands when faced with pressure to develop. Support for the measure was led by Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Russ Goodman (R-8), and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Robert Dickey (R-145).

The Georgia Farmland Conservation Act was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on April 18 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College campus in Bainbridge.

“On behalf of Georgia’s farmers and farm families, I want to thank the General Assembly for passing SB 220 to create the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund and give our farmers another tool in the toolbox to protect their most vital resource – their farmland,” said Commissioner Harper. “As Commissioner of Agriculture, I’ve been proud to support this bill as part of my legislative agenda and my commitment to promoting and protecting our state’s number one industry. I’m grateful to my friend, Chairman Russ Goodman, for carrying this bill and to the many others who helped us get across the finish line.”

Georgia’s bountiful agricultural lands are needed to fuel the people and economy of the state’s 159 counties, yet according to land cover trends, Georgia’s agricultural landscape is shifting at a rapid pace.

Despite agriculture being crucial to Georgia’s growing population and economy, the state lost approximately 2.6 million acres of crop, hay, and pasture land from 1974-2016, as determined through the Georgia Conservancy’s Georgia Now and Forever initiative.

“Georgia Conservancy’s unprecedented research and policy initiative, Georgia Now and Forever, has analyzed approximately 50 years of change to the state’s land cover,” says Georgia Conservancy President Katherine Moore. “These change trends not only serve to document what has passed but also to educate local decision-makers and private citizens alike on what the future holds for their county or region if trends remain the same.”

In an effort to buck this trend, Senate Bill 220 establishes the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program, an example of a Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) program. By working with farmers seeking to voluntarily restrict their right to develop farmland, a PACE program ensures that the best farmland for food production will be protected from development and will stay farmable for Georgia’s future generation of farmers.

Georgia’s agricultural industry is the biggest economic driver in the state, and a PACE program such as the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program helps to ensure the industry’s long-term viability while providing rural economic benefits and extending land protection to voluntary private landowners.

“I’m very thankful to my good friend Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper for bringing this important piece of legislation to me and for entrusting me to carry it in the Georgia Senate,” said Senator Goodman. “Just like my good friend Tyler Harper, I’m a seventh-generation South Georgia farmer and I’ve been taught from a young age that if you take good care of the land, the land will take good care of you. With a population curve that is outpacing the yield curve, it’s more important than ever that we protect our farmland for future generations. This bill will aid in that effort as well as helping our state’s farm families and I’m thankful to all my friends in the General Assembly for helping myself, Commissioner Tyler Harper and Chairman Robert Dickey send it to the Governor’s desk.”

Like other PACE programs, the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program will be able to coordinate with federal dollars and local matching funds to extend conservation objectives. The U.S. Department of Agriculture allocates $450 million per year in matching dollars for state farmland conservation programs. Twenty-nine other states currently have PACE programs and have protected 3.2 million acres of farmland.

The Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund will consist of annual appropriations by the state legislature, as well as public or private grants, dedicated gifts and donations, and proceeds from the sale of bonds or mitigation funds.

The Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program will make funds or matching grants available each fiscal year for prospective qualified easement holders having a project proposal that has been reviewed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and approved by the Georgia Farmland Conservation Advisory Council. The primary purpose of these prospective projects will be the conservation of farmlands that are threatened by development and the support of active farming and food production in this state.

“The strategic conservation of our precious farmlands must remain a priority for our ever-growing state,” says Katherine Moore. “A PACE program for Georgia has been a goal of the Georgia Conservancy for many years, and we applaud the efforts of Commissioner Harper and Senator Goodman for having the vision and dedication to forward such legislation. The Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund Program is such an important tool for our state to have and its benefits will be felt by our people, economy, and natural resources for generations to come.”

The Georgia Conservancy’s outreach and advocacy efforts were generously supported by The Clay Long Fund, which was established in 2021 to honor the legacy of avid conservationist and former Georgia Conservancy Board Chair Clay Long.

About the Georgia Conservancy:

Founded in 1967, the Georgia Conservancy’s mission is to protect Georgia through ecological and economic solutions for stewardship, conservation and sustainable use of the land and its resources.
www.georgiaconservancy.org

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