[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12164-S12165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. TORRICELLI (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. DeWine, and Mr. 
        Jeffords):
  S. 2596. A bill to amend the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996 to improve the farmland protection program; to the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.


                    farmland protection legislation

 Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr. President, today I introduce legislation 
which will assist in the critical effort to preserve our nation's most 
vulnerable farmland. I want to first acknowledge Senator Leahy's 
decisive leadership on this issue, and recognize him as the author of 
the original legislation establishing the Farmland Protection Program 
in the 1996 Farm Bill. He has been a tireless advocate for this 
important issue, and I look forward to working closely with him in the 
future to protect more of our Nation's open spaces.
  We have heard a lot during the last decade about the dissolution and 
destruction of the American Family Farm. Indeed, the family farm is 
under serious threat of extinction. Today, there are 1,925,300 farms in 
the United States, the lowest number of farms in our Nation since 
before the Civil War. The U.S. is losing two acres of our best farmland 
to development every minute of every day. In my State, New Jersey, we 
have lost 6,000 farms, or 40 percent of our total, since 1959. This 
reduction has serious implications for the environment, the economy and 
our food supply.
  The threat comes partially from an anachronistic and unfair 
inheritance tax that threatens the generational continuity of the 
family farm and partially from the fact that much of America's farmland 
is near major cities. As our cities sprawl into neighboring rural 
areas, our farms are in danger of becoming subdivisions or shopping 
malls.
  Last year I strongly supported a significant reduction in the estate 
tax to

[[Page S12165]]

keep farms in the family, preserve open space and ensure fairness in 
our tax code. This was an important victory for farmers across the 
Nation. However, we also need programs like the Farmland Protection 
Program to reinforce this effort. This critical initiative is designed 
to protect soil by encouraging landowners to limit conversion of their 
farmland to non-agricultural uses. It has proven so successful that 
demand for these grants currently outstrips availability of funds by 
900 percent, and the last of its authorized funding was spent during 
fiscal year 1998.
  The legislation I am introducing today with Senators Leahy, DeWine 
and Jeffords will provide authorization for additional funding, and 
ensure the survival of this important program. Our bill will 
reauthorize the program at $55 million a year through 2002, and will 
broaden the original legislation to allow non-profit conservation 
groups to hold these easements. This provision is necessary because 
some State governments, such as Colorado's, are barred from holding 
easements by their constitution. This legislation will allow non-profit 
groups to hold these easements in lieu of the state government and this 
will broaden participation in the program.
  I hope my colleagues are able to support this legislation and allow 
us to continue building on the success of the past few years, during 
which we were able to protect nearly 82,000 acres on more than 230 
farms.
                                 ______