The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF FARMS FOR THE FUTURE ACT OF 1995” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1887 on Sept. 29, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF FARMS FOR THE FUTURE ACT OF 1995
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HON. SAM FARR
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 29, 1995
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Farms for the Future Act of 1995. I have joined my friend Mr. Gilchrest in drafting this bill to help fix a problem that threatens the very essence of Thomas Jefferson's vision of our Republic: the family farm.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Resource Inventory shows that the Nation is losing over 1 million acres of productive farmland each year to urban development. This represents a loss of topsoil roughly equivalent to that being saved by Federal erosion control efforts, including the Conservation Reserve Program.
The land being lost is disproportionately prime farmland with the highest productivity. In many cases, it is irreplaceable as a source of domestic fruit and vegetable production, 85 percent of which comes from counties near expanding cities.
The loss of this land threatens our Nation's long-term ability to produce abundant inexpensive food supply and compete in the global agricultural market. Moreover, keeping this land in agricultural production has additional benefits, ranging from watershed and wildlife habitat enhancement, to reducing the tax burden on communities from wasteful urban sprawl.
Since the late 1970's, States and localities have invested an estimated $650 million to protect this resource--funds that went directly into farmers' pockets in exchange for voluntarily agreeing not to develop their property. This has protected 400,000 acres of high-
quality farmland, but a study by the American Farmland Trust shows that for every farmer the States can help, another six willing farmers are disappointed. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has contributed almost nothing.
This is wrong. A national problem of this magnitude deserves national attention. The State and local leaders in this effort deserve a Federal partner. And the farmers who have been turned away from State and local programs because of a lack of resources deserve Federal support to help them meet their goals.
This Federal response should be governed by two basic principles. First, Federal efforts to conserve productive farmland must protect the private property rights of farmers. Second, the Federal Government should build upon existing and future State and local farmland preservation efforts.
My bill does that by simply helping the existing State farmland conservation programs more effectively serve the farmers and other agricultural landowners who want to get the equity out of their land without contributing to urban sprawl. It would establish a matching grant program to add Federal resources to this State driven effort.
I urge my colleagues support of this legislation.
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