[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 92 (Thursday, June 26, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1331-E1332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FARMLAND PRESERVATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 1997

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, June 18, 1997 into the Congressional Record.


[[Page E1332]]

                         Farmland Preservation

       Farmland is one of this nation's most precious resources. 
     But farmland is fragile: it takes nature 100 to 1,000 years 
     to replace one inch of topsoil. Fifteen tons of topsoil wash 
     down the Mississippi River every second. The United States 
     has made an impressive effort to reduce loss of farmland by 
     erosion, but prime farmland is also being converted to 
     shopping centers and suburbs at a rapid rate. As communities 
     grow and expand, new housing, industry, and roads must be 
     built to support that growth. This growth has many positive 
     aspects to it, with the creation of new wealth and jobs, but 
     concern is growing that unchecked development may be reducing 
     the limited resource of good farmland. There is a general 
     consensus that domestic food production capacity is not 
     currently threatened by the conversion of farmland to other 
     uses, but less certainty about the ability of the United 
     States to meet future export demand.


                              The problem

       By some estimates, Indiana is losing more than 70,000 acres 
     of prime farmland each year. Some groups calculate that, over 
     the last decade, the United States has lost more than 10 
     million acres of farmland--an area almost half the size of 
     Indiana. This is troubling for several reasons.
       First, the loss of prime farmland eliminates a productive 
     resource from future use. Almost 20% of the U.S. economy is 
     linked to farm production. A reduction in agricultural 
     productivity could hurt the overall economy.
       Second, new development that increases land prices makes it 
     difficult for younger farmers to purchase land. Because the 
     rural population is aging, young farmers will be critical to 
     the future strength of agriculture.
       Third, less land could mean higher food prices. In the next 
     fifty years, world food demand is projected to triple. Unless 
     we can increase food production, growing demand will force 
     prices up, hitting moderate income families hardest.
       Fourth, the loss of agricultural land decreases the quality 
     of life in small towns and rural areas. Hoosiers value our 
     beautiful countryside and the open spaces that characterize 
     Indiana's landscape. With unplanned development, we risk 
     losing some of our treasured land resources.
       Fifth, the loss of prime farmland near growing communities 
     may force farmers to use less productive land. Such farming 
     often requires more chemicals and causes more erosion, thus 
     decreasing water safety and quality.
       Sixth, U.S. food production is important to international 
     security. With just 4% of the world's population, the U.S. 
     produces 20% of the world's field crops on 14% of the arable 
     farmland. Yet China, for example, has 25% of the population 
     and just 7% of the arable farmland. U.S. exports will be 
     critical for the future security of many growing countries. 
     Unchecked loss of U.S. farmland could make famine, refugee 
     flows, and political instability more common abroad.


                           Possible Solutions

       We must gather more information on the problem and possible 
     solutions. We really do not know how serious the problem is, 
     or the most effective ways to address it. Different agencies 
     give different estimates on how much farmland has been 
     converted to non-farm use, and whether farmland conversion is 
     a national or a local and regional problem. The President, 
     governors, and other leading officials should make clear 
     policy statements on the importance of agricultural land.

                               Easements

       One popular approach to preservation is a voluntary land 
     use ``easement''. Farmers who want to preserve their land for 
     farming can sell easements to community groups, governments, 
     or conservation organizations to protect the future use of 
     the land. Present and future property owners retain all 
     rights to use the land as they see fit, within the guidelines 
     of the easement. The voluntary easement compensates the 
     farmer for the loss of future commercial or residential 
     development rights.

                            Federal programs

       To encourage the use of easements, Congress created the 
     Farmland Protection Program in the 1996 farm bill. This 
     program provides easement matching funds to states and 
     local communities that have farmland preservation 
     programs. Incentives should also be given to encourage 
     development on land that is less-suited for agriculture. 
     Government at all levels must be sensitive to the adverse 
     effect of its own activities on agricultural land.

                             State efforts

       The State of Indiana has also studied farmland protection, 
     and Governor Frank O'Bannon has announced the creation of a 
     task force to make recommendations on local farmland 
     preservation efforts. This task force will include 
     agricultural, conservation, and business groups, and state 
     and local officials. If the state sets up a formal program, 
     local efforts could get federal matching funds.

                                 Taxes

       Current estate tax laws often make it difficult to keep 
     farmland in the family, and to continue its agricultural use. 
     Heirs faced with large tax bills are more likely to sell 
     farmland for development. I support measures in the state 
     legislature and Congress to increase estate tax relief and 
     other incentives to keep land in the family or preserve it 
     for agricultural use.

                               Land reuse

       Another way to encourage farmland preservation is to 
     recycle ``brownfields'', or old industrial sites, rather than 
     taking farmland out of production. Companies are often 
     reluctant to clean up old factories in cities because of 
     environmental regulations and a deteriorating quality of life 
     in urban areas. The clean-up and redevelopment of these sites 
     is in farmers' interests.


                               Conclusion

       We must be careful not to raise concerns about federal 
     intervention in land use. Land use and zoning regulations are 
     and should remain the responsibility of local governments. We 
     do have to increase awareness of the risks of farmland 
     conversion, encourage state and local leaders to be aware of 
     those risks, and provide effective options for communities to 
     preserve farmland. Nothing is more important than preserving 
     our nation's natural resource base.

     

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