Lawmakers are concerned about farmlands for GSL conservation, but quick to sacrifice them for development
Utah has lost 20% of its farmland over the past six decades, a Salt Lake Tribune article reports.
Conservation easements, where farmers are paid to limit certain development rights on their land, have been proposed as a solution. These easements can help preserve farmland and prevent it from being converted into subdivisions or used for mining.
Terry Camp of the Utah Farm Bureau and Jeremy Christensen from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food argue that these easements are crucial as Utah’s population grows and development pressures increase.
Natural Resources Conservation Service, a branch of the Department of Agriculture, says “Agricultural Land Easements protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing the conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Land protected by agricultural land easements provides additional public benefits, including environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat and protection of open space.”
The state uses farmers as an excuse to not preserve Great Salt Lake, where the vast majority of diversions go to alfalfa farming. Yet state efforts to protect what remains are inconsistent and often hypocritical. They have taken no action to protect farmlands and rural areas from industrial development, particularly from the Utah Inland Port. This contradicts their stated commitment to farmers and the environment.
“By far, the Great Salt Lake is shrinking mainly due to agricultural use — much of it from alfalfa farming. Growing alfalfa hay only represents 0.2% of the Utah economy but uses 68% of the state’s water. Utah farmers grow alfalfa to feed livestock both domestically and overseas.” (Sustainable Review)
If Utah truly values its agricultural heritage, it must consistently support farmland preservation and reject projects that threaten these values.