N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 327: Legislative intent

§ 327. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds, determines

and declares that the New York agriculture industry has a substantial

impact on the overall economic health and well-being of the state.

Furthermore, state farms preserve approximately 7.7 million acres of

open space as working landscapes, thus contributing to the overall

quality of the state's environment. Preserving farmland as a working

agricultural landscape provides open space benefits for all residents of

the state, and maintains the land as a natural habitat for animals.

Properly managed farmland has been demonstrated to be the best

environmental usage of land for watershed protection, so it is in the

best interest of the state to maintain agricultural land. The

legislature hereby declares that in order to ensure the continued

economic viability of the agricultural industry, and to preserve the

environmental benefits of agricultural land use, the department shall

create a farmland viability program.