2009 PRESS RELEASES
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September 21, 2009
STATE ANNOUNCES OCTOBER 23 DEADLINE FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION MATCHING FUNDS APPLICATION
Contact: Elaine J. Lidholm, 804.786.7686
The Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP) of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) has announced an October 23 application deadline for localities interested in receiving state matching funds for local Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs. OFP currently has $635,973 available to allocate as part of the FY 2010 certification round.
“Protecting our working farms from development is a high priority in Virginia,” said Todd P. Haymore, VDACS Commissioner. “We have been losing farmland at an alarming rate for several years now and these state matching funds can help stop that loss. I encourage localities with local PDR programs to take advantage of these funds, and I urge localities that may be considering such a program to create one right away. When we protect farmland, we not only protect our food supply, but we also provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, recreational opportunities and many more benefits for all of Virginia’s citizens.”
In order to qualify for matching funds, localities must certify the amount of matching funds that they have available for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements by October 23, 2009. The form is available on the VDACS Web site at www.vdacs.virginia.gov/preservation/index.shtml. Click on “FY 2010 Fiscal Certification Form – Due October 23, 2009.” By this same date, localities also must submit an application to have the components of their local PDR program certified. That form is available by clicking on “FY 2010 Program Certification Form – Due October 23, 2009.” Localities must describe how their program addresses or matches the elements in A Model Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program for Virginia, www.vdacs.virginia.gov/preservation/pdf/pdfprogram.pdf, which was released by VDACS in November 2005.
State matching funds will be divided among those localities that become certified to the extent that localities are able to provide a one-to-one match with these state funds. While localities are encouraged to use multiple funding sources to cover the costs of preserving their important farmland, OFP only will match those funds actually contributed to the program by the locality.
More information is available here; by contacting Kevin Schmidt, Coordinator, Office of Farmland Preservation, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor Street, Richmond, VA 23219; or by calling 804.786.1346, faxing 804.371.2945, or e-mailing kevin.schmidt@vdacs.virginia.gov.