Subject: American Farmland Trust Named Nation's First Private Farmland Info Center

From: [email-masked] (Nigel Allen)
Date: Tue, 4 May 1993 22:14:40 GMT

Here is a press release from American Farmalnd Trust.

 American Farmland Trust Named Nation's First Private Farmland Info Center
 To: National Desk
 Contact: Ed Thompson or Gary Kozel, 202-659-5170, both of
          American Farmland Trust

   WASHINGTON, May 4  -- The National Agricultural Library 
has selected American Farmland Trust as the nation's first
private Farmland Information Center.
   AFT, a national farmland conservation group based in Washington,
D.C., will work closely with the agricultural library to create a
state-of-the-art, electronically based farmland information storage
and retrieval system readily accessible to the public.  AFT's
research and education facility in DeKalb Ill., will administer
the center.
   Farmland information centers were authorized by the Farmland
Protection Policy Act of 1981.  The measure committed the federal
government to safeguarding the nation's agricultural land resources
against unnecessary conversion and charged the centers with
ollecting and distributing information on farmland loss and
protection.  At present, the USDA's Soil Conservation Service
estimates the U.S. is losing more than 2 million acres of
productive farmland annually.
   "We are delighted with our selection," said AFT President Ralph
E. Grossi.  "The Farmland Information Center will give researchers,
policy-makers, institutions and land users a better understanding
of farmland conservation and protection by providing quick and easy
access to one of the most comprehensive and organized collections
of data, literature and other information on the nation's
agricultural land resources."
   Founded in 1980 by a group of farmers and conservationists, AFT
has assembled a strong collection of information on agricultural
land resources.
   AFT expects to collect and distribute information on the types,
classifications and location of farmland, soils and related natural
resources; urban development and growth patterns affecting
aricultural land use and its impact on the environment; planning
and other tools for farmland protection; and the economic, social
and environmental costs of protecting farmland.  The collection
will include databases, popular periodicals, technical journals,
research results and on-going research.  Later AFT anticipates
expanding its informational resources into other areas, including
agricultural practices and their impact on the environment, land
use and the farm economy and sustainable agriculture techniques.
   American Farmland Trust is a private, nonprofit membership
organization working to stop the loss of productive farmland and
promote farming practices that will lead to a healthy environment.
AFT's National Office is at 1920 N St., N.W., Suite 400,
Washington, D.C. 20036.
 -30-
  
Disclaimer from NDA: I don't work for AFT or USDA. Contact them
directly if you want more information.

-- 
Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada  [email-masked]