| "What we're trying to do is foster locally based action teams and cosponsor a wide range of educational events targeted at farmers and local officials to improve local farmland protection." | |
| Catherine Cunningham, Michigan Coastal Mnagement Program |
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Agriculture is one of Michigan's biggest industries, but the demand for residential development in the state's coastal counties is shrinking available farmland and creating land use conflicts. The state has spent the past year developing a grassroots initiative to educate rural communities about farmland preservation and develop local leaders.
"Research on land use trends in Michigan estimated that the state is losing 10 acres of farmland per hour," says Catherine Cunningham, chief of the Michigan Coastal Management Program. "Areas along Michigan's coast have a microclimate that supports crops, such as fruit production, that cannot be grown in inland areas. Part of the reason why these farms are so productive is their coastal location."
But like much of the rest of the U.S., the demand to live in Michigan's coastal counties is rising, and farmland is "getting carved up and fragmented." While residents love the idea of living next to a working farm, Cunningham says, they often "complain about the pesticides, noise, manure—they're not always compatible land uses."
Zoning decisions in Michigan are made at the local and county level, and as a result, the state has few tools to support farmland preservation. Cunningham notes, "What we're trying to do is foster locally based action teams and cosponsor a wide range of educational events targeted at farmers and local officials to improve local farmland protection."
A steering committee of representatives from the coastal management program, Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Farm Bureau, and local farmers and officials developed a series of land use education workshops in eight coastal counties.
"What was really exciting and different" about the workshops, says Lillian Dean, farmland and land use education project coordinator for the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, was that the county teams "really took charge."
"Typically, agency staff organize education meetings—developing the agenda, selecting a location, and inviting local officials and stakeholders. To have the local leaders so actively involved was a surprise. In many cases, they took care of the real details of the meeting—setting the day, time, and place, getting the word out, and calling state legislators and the press.... This made the impact of the workshops substantial," Dean says.
Last year, 14 workshops were held detailing numerous tools for farmland preservation, including use-based tax assessments, purchase of development rights, conservation easements, and estate planning for farmers. Dean notes that sessions were presented both by outside experts and local speakers.
As a result of the sessions, Cunningham says "farm leaders are more aware of the concerns and opportunities related to farmland preservation tools. We were able to improve grassroots support, increase the number of applications to the [state's] purchase of development rights program, and new legislation was passed that provided local governments the authority and grant funds to purchase development rights as conservation easements."
She adds, "Farmland preservation has really moved up in terms of visibility. It's now recognized as a statewide concern. Before, I don't think anybody but the farmers were aware of the problem, and there were very few solutions. Building local support has been good for the future of farmland preservation."
For more information on Michigan's County-Based Leadership for Farmland Protection Initiatives, contact Lillian Dean at (248) 546-5818 or lfdean@aol.com. You also may contact Catherine Cunningham at (517) 335-3456 or cunningc@state.mi.us.
