New York Agricultural Land Trust (NYALT)

Our land trust values both the land and the people who work the land – we know that we wouldn’t have farms without farmers.

Here are some reflections on why we farm, and how important it is to conserve our working landscapes.

The ability to make a full and comfortable living from the land;
To rear a family carefully and well;
To be of good service to the community;
To leave the farm more productive than it was when he took it.

- Liberty Hyde Bailey

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”-Wendell Berry

“The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer.” – Will Rogers

“Only he can understand what a farm is, what a country is, who shall have sacrificed part of himself to his farm or country, fought to save it, struggled to make it beautiful. Only then will the love of farm or country fill his heart.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupėry

“ The fight to save family farms isn’t just about farmers. It’s about making sure that there is a safe and healthy food supply for all of us. It’s about jobs, from Main Street to Wall Street. It’s about a better America.” – Willie Nelson

“We’d rather see our land growing crops- not houses.” - Doris Doody, Doody Farm

“As we continually see the smaller farms being parceled off into housing developments and beautiful farmland lost forever, we know we want to do something to protect our farm. Choosing farming as our livelihood has combined hardship with an infinite number of rewards. One of the rewards is our ability to provide future generations the privilege of enjoying the splendor of open fields and the unspoiled landscape.” - Marcia Masters, Memory Lane Farm

“Farmland protection is hard work and takes many steps. We are relying on the Land Trust to help us through the state process. My brothers and I thought a long time about if protecting our land was the right thing to do. We decided that it was important to make sure this farm was around for future generations -- it’s good land.” - Doug Blumer, Eagle Point Farms

“I was born on this farm 85 years ago. We started from scratch and worked hard to create this farm. My boys and I know that other farmers will need land like this. They aren’t making land like this anymore. We think conserving good land is important.” - Everett Allen, Allen Farms

“Farming is a life style we love and feel it is extremely important to preserve the agricultural heritage of this country. We are excited that our farm with its great potential will always remain as a productive unit for the local economy.” - Todd DuMond, Green Valley Farms

“Agriculture is a very important part of New York’s economy and food supply. The Farmland Protection Program ensures that our local farmers receive the support they need as they work to keep their farmland productive. In preserving our open space, we also preserve our valuable farming resources, as well as our agricultural tradition.” – Governor David Patterson

“Farm preservation is vital to the future of our State. The Farmland Protection Program gives farmers much needed capital to operate their farms and protects this land for farm use at a time when recent studies have predicted a shortage of farmland worldwide. The preservation of almost 9,000 acres of farmland and continued funding for this program protects our economy and will help ensure New York State continues to be an agricultural leader for years to come.” - Senator Darrel J. Aubertine

“While its primary purpose is to protect productive farmland, the Farmland Protection Program also helps safeguard local food production, as well as provide a true economic stimulus to rural communities. By allowing farmers to utilize the equity in their land without selling their assets, the State is encouraging the preservation of not only farmland, but farmers.” - New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Hooker