Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet
Legislator instrumental in protecting farmland named Conservation Person of the Year

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 24, 2006) - State Rep. Adrian Arnold, who for years sponsored legislation for protection and stewardship of agricultural land, has received the 2006 Conservation Person of the Year Award of the Kentucky Association of Conservation Districts.

Arnold, of Mount Sterling, is a farmer who has represented House District 74 - now made up of Montgomery, Powell and Wolfe counties - since 1974.

Under legislation Arnold helped pass in 1982, Kentucky became the fifth state to create a voluntary agricultural district that enabled land owners to protect farm land and receive benefits for their stewardship. In the years since, nearly 3,000 land owners in 73 counties have enrolled 382,000 acres of farm land in the program, ensuring its availability as productive agricultural land for future generations.

In 1994, Arnold was a sponsor of legislation to create PACE - the Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements program. To date, more than 100 farms covering 25,000 acres have been enrolled for protection in perpetuity.

Arnold sponsored legislation in 1981 to mandate a study of farm land loss and in 1984 to require state government to examine its own effect on the conversion of farm land to nonagricultural uses.

The Conservation Person of the Year Award was presented at the association’s recent state meeting in Owensboro.