North Valley farm field in winter.

A new study, Sustaining Agriculture in Urbanizing Counties, provides detailed information on the development pressures that many counties around the nation face and win-win solutions to those problems.  

• Farmers were more likely to be positive about agriculture’s future in their county if the local government was supportive in resolving conflicts between farmers and non-farmers.
• State and local governments should cooperate to develop effective programs for purchasing development rights to farmland, which can compliment current agricultural zoning or supplement where it is lacking.
• Local governments should apply zoning policies, such as cluster developments or urban growth boundaries, to increase farmland preservation and reduce pressures from development.
• Beginning or young farmers face many obstacles when trying to purchase or rent farmland.  Public and private agencies should encourage current farmers to plan for the transfer of ownership to the next generation of farmers.
• The production of high value specialty crops or livestock should be encouraged, as those farming enterprises can be most profitable on smaller acreage which is most common near urban areas.

Although the publication is rather long, it contains very useful information along with quotes and opinions from farmers in the counties that were surveyed.  Since the challenges we face here in New Mexico’s mid-region parallel those found in the study, the above findings and recommendations are something to be considered.