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Senator Pam Helming announced the launch of the Farmland for a New Generation Program. The new program received $400,000 in funding through this year's New York State budget and is based on a successful model that American Farmland Trust created in the Hudson Valley in 2014. American Farmland Trust, in partnership with several agricultural organizations including regional land trusts and Cornell Cooperative Extension, will administer the statewide Farmland for a New Generation program in an effort to keep farmland in agricultural production.

"As the Senate Chair of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, I was proud to work with American Farmland Trust and my State Senate colleagues to secure the necessary funding for the Farmland for a New Generation Program. This program will help connect farmers looking for new land to either start farming or expand their operations with those seeking to sell, ultimately ensuring that farmland stays in agricultural production. This is a crucial service that will facilitate opportunities for land to pass on to the next generation of farmers and is especially important as the number of farmers seeking to retire continues to grow and more and more farmland is subsequently lost each year. The Resource Center and Regional Navigators will be great tools for farmers of all ages and experience levels, and I am excited about the program and how it will directly assist local farmers," Helming said.

The Farmland for a New Generation Program will help connect farmers with available farmland through a Resource Center and a Regional Navigator Program. The Resource Center includes a statewide website (nyfarmlandfinder.org) featuring training materials and a listing of farmers in search of land as well as land available for farming. The Program also includes a Regional Navigator network, which includes partner organizations with staff willing to advise landowners and land seekers throughout the process. These experts will provide one-on-one assistance and training programs for farmers interested in the program and will be located throughout New York State.

"With support from the State Legislature, New York State is taking a big step forward in helping farmers of today and tomorrow find a home on the land. Farmland for a New Generation New York is an innovative model that will help new farmers overcome one of the biggest barriers that they face – finding appropriate farmland at an affordable price under conditions that enable them to succeed," said David Haight, New York state director and vice president of programs for AFT.

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