Suffolk County Pledges $100M Over 10 Years To Save At-Risk Farms

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone headed to Garden of Eve in Riverhead Tuesday to unveil the "100 for 10 Farmland Preservation" initiative: The county will invest $100 million over the next 10 years to preserve the remaining at-risk farms across the county and encourage inter-municipal cooperation, he said.

“One of the many things that makes Suffolk County incredible is our unparalleled farmland, and Suffolk was a pioneer when it came to preserving farmland,” said Bellone. “Despite the ongoing pandemic, we moved full-steam ahead with our first in the nation farmland preservation program and today we are committed to preserving the remaining 10,000 acres to ensure farming is forever cemented as part of the fabric of Suffolk County.”

Agriculture, Bellone added, is critical to the economy: With $226 million in sales, Suffolk County is the fourth highest-ranking county in New York State in terms of the total market value for agricultural goods produced, he said. Suffolk has 560 farms that employ more than 4,600 people; the farms grow and provide locally sourced food to area businesses and restaurants and serve as "the foundation of Suffolk’s rural character and tourism economy," he added.

The Nassau-Suffolk comprehensive plan summary, in 1970, recommended the preservation of 30,000 acres of farmland in order to sustain the long-term viability of Long Island farming, Bellone explained.

In 1974, Suffolk County created the first farmland development rights program in the country; since then, more than 11,000 acres have been preserved countywide. Additionally, other local municipalities and land trusts have preserved 9,000 acres, bringing the countywide total to 20,000 acres, Bellone said.

Through the new "100 for 10 Farmland Preservation" program, Suffolk County will work with its municipal partners to preserve the remaining 10,000 acres and finally reach the goal of 30,000 acres, Bellone said.

Suffolk County has already preserved 143.5 acres of farmland in 2021.

Farmland preservation expenditures are investments in Suffolk County’s long-term future; the farms are "power-horses" of the Suffolk County and also preserve natural resources, Bellone said.

As part of the effort, the county will reach out to the five East End supervisors who have access to Community Preservation Fund funding, and to New York State, to convene a meeting about how the county can effectively partner with local government to meet its preservation goal.