April is Earth Month, and we are talking about the environment this weekend on In Focus. JoDee Kenney sat down with Rachel Chrostowski, farmland protection specialist with the Western New York Land Conservancy. Agriculture is a $3.6 billion industry here in New York, and preserving the land used to grow our food, Chrostowski said, is important to both the environment and the economy. With many family farmers struggling to turn a profit, she said, land conservation programs can benefit their bottom line. Chrostowski highlighted conservation easements, that allow farmers to maintain ownership of their land while preventing development that would eliminate these agricultural resources. The loss of farmland in the state, she said, would be felt by all New Yorkers.

You can watch the full interview with Rachel Chrostowski, Farmland Protection Specialist with the Western New York Land Conservancy via the video player above. And be sure to tune in for a look inside the biggest issues impacting upstate New York, on In Focus with JoDee Kenney — every Sunday on Spectrum News 1.