Preserving Farms and Ranches

Preserving Farms and Ranches

Summary

SUMMARY
Two main educational were planned to assistant the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board and Ravalli County farm families learn about farm and ranch preservation and protection tools. The first was a travel-study tour of three southern Montana Counties with 12 interested participants learning land use programs that are effective in those counties. The second educational activity was designed to assist Ravalli County farm families learn, discuss and consider land use tools and alternatives employed successfully in other areas to enhance farm family incomes and sustainability for those that continue farming.

OBJECTIVES
1. Develop leadership among members of the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board
2. Provide a view of how other grow-impacted communities in Montana and surrounding states are dealing with farm loss and changing land use
3. Provide opportunities for the board to share in other counties’ methods through discussion with community leadership on their success and failures
4. Within the board, foster a nonthreatening structure for farm families to have a forum to analyze and discuss alternative farm preservation concepts
5. Develop among the board leadership that is willing and ready to lead balanced discussion on alternatives and consequences that could shape county and area policy on farm and ranch sustainability
6. Foster community appreciation beyond the farm or ranch for sustaining farm businesses through community discussion on land use tools and methods
7. Explore the benefits of maintaining farms and ranches beyond individual farms, including enhancing water quality, maintaining flood plains, protecting wildlife habitat or understanding how underdeveloped land heals the effects of many other uses.

RESULTS
Twelve people, including members of the board, the Bitterroot Land Trust, three county agents and the president of the Bitterroot Stockgrowers Association, traveled to the southern Montana counties of Madison, Park and Gallatin. Those counties face some of the same growth and land use issues as are found in Ravalli County.

In Madison County, the group visited with the Madison Valley Ranchlands Group, a nonprofit organization that works cooperatively to enhance production agriculture, open space, resource stewardship and wildlife and habitat management. Interacting with the Ranchlands Group provided the Ravalli County visitors with insights into how the group engenders trust, patience and sincerity in relationships that can then lead to discussions and solutions to community challenges.

In Park County, the Ravalli travelers met with county commissioners, the county planner and the county extension agent to discuss planning, zoning for farmland protection and subdivision procedure. It was clear they are concerned and frustrated with the process of dealing with growth.

The Park County leadership noted a lack of understanding about conservation easements for farmland and family farm business preservation and concern over rising land values, which are of little significance to well financed newcomers but extremely important for continuation or expansion of family ranches. Observations from Park County are that agriculture is generally declining and that while selling off small parcels of ag land for development can provide needed cash flow, the practice is not conducive to the long-term preservation of farm and ranch lands and enterprises.

The last stop was Gallatin County, which hosts Montana State University, a large ag sector and a thriving downtown Bozeman. The county has a strong infrastructure in place to preserve farms. As explained by the Gallatin Open Lands director, Gallatin Land Trust director and by the county planner and planning board chair, community funding through a $10 million bond drives a conservation easement program. With Gallatin County’s situation mirroring, to some extent, that in Ravalli County, the Ravalli Right to Farm and Ranch Board is considering emulating Gallatin’s model, which has these attributes:

• Purchasing development rights or conservation easements can be an effective tool to maintain working farms
• The ability to sell development rights on farmland or a conservation easement can help farm families realize their goal to continue ranching
• The community or county is willing to tax itself to protect working farms, water quality and wildlife habitat

The Western SARE grant team has since undertaken and partially completed efforts to educate farm families and the community of the Bitterroot Valley about farm and ranch preservation tools. A study has been undertaken to assess the beneficial impacts from agriculture in the county, and tools for preserving farms and ranches are being researched and discussed as to their potential use and impacts in Ravalli County. In the latter part of 2005 and early 2006, several workshop and presentations were sponsored by the Ravalli Right to Farm and Ranch Board, the Bitterroot Land Trust and a Peer Group crafted as a sounding board from the larger community. These workshops and presentations focused on preservation programs; tools, techniques and state laws affecting counties dealing with lands issues in Montana; shaping sustainable growth in the West’s mountain valleys; preserving land for both wildlife and ranching; and helping ranching families become comfortable with estate planning and passing preserved ag land on to following generations.

In 2006, the Ravalli County Right to Farm and Ranch Board and the Bitterroot Land Trust resolved to put before the citizens a $10 million bond for purchasing development rights or placing conservation easements on farms meeting specific criteria. Voters passed the bond in November 2006, and the board and land trust are now making plans to preserve farms, ranches, steam sides and wildlife habitat.

BENEFITS OR IMPACTS ON AGRICULTURE
Learning that people in the community value agriculture has instilled confidence in the board, and their and others’ efforts have provided impetus for an agenda where farmers and ranchers can initiate leadership in the county to partner with nonfarm groups, to work with county leadership and to show the ag community that it can have a voice in shaping its future. There is now a greater awareness about preservation tools, especially among county leaders, and better communication in a nonthreatening environment where ideas can be born and solutions to land use issues developed.

FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS OR NEW HYPOTHESES
A statewide education effort could be undertaken to inform farm families, the public, attorneys and lenders about the benefits, costs and limitations of conservation easements. A question that needs to be addressed: Will the public in the western states, with so much public land, be wiling to work, finance and provide stewardship to preserve private lands in range areas or smaller mountain valleys that are in the path of development? Also, how do communities deal with growth? What are the tools? How do communities address leadership qualities in citizens? Are there mechanisms in place to provide training and experience in rural communities? As communities grow, where will their leadership come from? And are there methods that communities can use to discuss public issues in a structured, nonthreatening, problem-solving manner?

REACTIONS FROM PRODUCERS
While many people have expressed interest in the issues addressed in this grant, especially those concerned about limits on land values that have been increasing at around 10-15% a year for several years, others are taking a wait-and-see attitude, wondering just how conservation easements will work. Many who continue to farm are simply concerned about family income and paying their bills, while some feel it is too late to save farms and ranches as many have already gone out of business.

OUTREACH
The many public meetings, well prepared presentations and informational mailings have spread the word about developing tools for land preservation.

Collaborators: