Protecting our community's working farms and forests, connecting people to the land, and promoting a vibrant future for agriculture and forestry in our region. The Agricultural Stewardship Association (ASA) is a nonprofit, community-supported land conservancy dedicated to protecting local farmland and working forests from encroaching development.
Since our founding in 1990, we have helped conserve over 26,000 acres on 152 properties in Washington and Rensselaer counties in the Upper Hudson River Valley. ASA is one of the very few land trusts in New York State focused exclusively on conserving working farms and forests. Land conserved for agricultural or forestry purposes can never be used for housing developments or commercial development.
Since our founding in 1990, we have helped conserve over 26,000 acres on 152 properties in Washington and Rensselaer counties in the Upper Hudson River Valley. ASA is one of the very few land trusts in New York State focused exclusively on conserving working farms and forests. Land conserved for agricultural or forestry purposes can never be used for housing developments or commercial development.
Services
There are many good reasons to consider conserving your land, and there are many options available for you to go about it. Conserving your property can bring significant benefits to you as well as long-term benefits to the whole community. ASA offers several options to landowners who are interested in conserving their land for future agricultural and forestry uses.
There are many good reasons to consider conserving your land, and there are many options available for you to go about it. In addition to the landowner's own conservation goals, there are other factors affecting which option may be available. These include the property's physical features, its conservation attributes and location, and funding availability.
ASA, like every easement holder, is required to ensure that any activity on a protected property is consistent with the terms of the agreement. We conduct annual site visits to monitor every conserved property in our portfolio. We also work closely with our easement landowners, whom we consider our partners in conservation.
Climate change has, and will continue to have, dramatic effects on all New Yorkers - including farmers and citizens concerned about their food and where it comes from. In the future, farming and food production could be significantly impacted by severe weather, including warmer winters, hotter summers with serious droughts; or intense storms with heavy rainfall.
As of this month, ASA has helped more than 125 farm families conserve 20,042 acres in Washington and Rensselaer counties. But we're not stopping here! We have many more farm families asking for our help to conserve their land. That's why ASA has launched a Forever Farmland Campaign with the goal of raising $9.4 million to conserve a total of 24,000 acres by 2020.
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Stephan Deibel
Dec 24, 2012
Report
The ASA is one of the most effective and respected land trusts in the nation. They have protected over 20 square miles of the best farmland in Washington and Rensselaer counties. The ASA has also provided millions of dollars in funding to local farmers through the purchase of development rights on their farmland with state and federal money, and money from foundations and private donors. This funding has made it possible for farmers to expand their operations without incurring additional debt, and in some cases was the only means by which they could pass their farms on to the next generation. I