“I am proud to see that close to $50 million in funds for farmland protection has been made available through the Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program. The goal of this program is to protect valuable, at-risk farmland from development pressures and ensure that the land continues to be used for agriculture. Agriculture is the number one industry in the 121^st district and these funds will go a long way to ensure farmers will have the land and resources needed to feed our great state. $4.5 million will be awarded to each of the state’s 10 economic regions. There is no deadline to apply and applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until funds run out, I urge everyone who is interested to have someone proficient at using a computer apply at the Grants Gateway website. Further information can be found on the Department of Agriculture and Markets website.”