www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-12 12:27:00
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the \$25 million Farmland Preservation Act, aimed at helping farmers protect their land. The act, included in the fiscal year 2026 budget, offers grants to farmers who enter permanent easement contracts. Rep. Greg Vital, a farm owner, championed the bill and highlighted its potential to slow farmland loss, which occurs at a rate of 9.8 acres per hour in Tennessee. The fund will assist voluntary conservation easements, helping to preserve farmland and secure food production for future generations. The Tennessee Farm Bureau supports the initiative as vital to safeguarding the state’s agricultural industry.
(The Center Square) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed the $25 million Farmland Preservation Act on Monday, a move he said would help Tennessee farmers protect their land.
The governor included the plan in his fiscal year 2026 budget. It will award grants to farmers who want to preserve their farmland. The grants will be given to farmers who have entered permanent easement contracts.
Rep. Greg Vital, R-Harrison, is a farm owner who carried the bill in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
“Over 20 years ago, I saw the importance of protecting part of my farm with the first voluntary conservation easement in Hamilton County,” Vital said. “Since that time, as both a board member and chairman of the Land Trust for Tennessee, we have protected over 4,400 acres across Hamilton County and almost 140,000 acres of farmland and forests across Tennessee. This fund will help facilitate additional voluntary conservation easements across the state and slow the decline of farmland and give the Tennessee Department of Agriculture another tool in protecting family farms and providing food security for future generations.”
Tennessee loses farmland at a rate of 9.8 acres per hour, according to a policy brief from the Tennessee Farm Bureau.
“It’s an extremely heavy lift to combat the rate at which farmland across Tennessee is being lost, but we are confident this program will help ensure Tennessee’s number one and most important industry is protected for generations to come,” said Tennessee Farm Bureau President Eric Mayberry.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The article primarily reports on the signing of the Farmland Preservation Act by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, including statements from Republican lawmakers and representatives of farming interests. The language is generally factual and focused on the preservation of farmland and support for the agricultural industry, which often aligns with conservative and pro-business priorities. However, the article does not critique or promote a broader ideological agenda explicitly; it centers on the practical benefits of the legislation for farmers and the state’s agricultural sector. This presentation, emphasizing government support for a traditional industry through a Republican-led initiative, suggests a mild center-right leaning without overt ideological slant or opinionated framing.
SUMMARY: Nashville’s mayor, Freddie O’Connell, expressed concerns about the legality of recent traffic stops linked to immigration arrests, suggesting that some individuals legally in the U.S. may have been detained due to lack of documentation. The Department of Homeland Security reported 196 arrests, including 95 individuals with criminal records. O’Connell questioned whether due process rights were violated and called for transparency, requesting a full list of detainees. Federal officials defended the operations as safety measures, while local officials criticized the arrests and held meetings to address community concerns. The mayor faces potential litigation against the federal government.
SUMMARY: Governor Bill Lee signed three significant bills into law in Tennessee. The first bans state and public higher education institutions from maintaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices, voiding all existing DEI-related practices. The second law requires juvenile court records from the past five years to be considered when setting bond, including assessing the defendant’s risk to the community. The third creates a human trafficking offense for harboring undocumented immigrants and empowers the attorney general to act against offenders. These laws sparked considerable attention during the legislative process and now set new statewide standards across Tennessee.
Gov. Bill Lee has signed three new high-profile bills into law.
SUMMARY: Millions of federal student loan borrowers are being targeted by scammers, especially after collections resumed April 21. Reporter Aaron Velasquez, a former student, has received over 20 scam calls impersonating federal agencies like the IRS, using official logos and advanced AI technology to sound convincing. With over 42 million borrowers and $3 trillion in loans, scammers see a huge opportunity. Experts advise blocking suspicious calls and dealing directly with loan providers to avoid falling victim. Families should warn loved ones with loans about these scams, as even a small success rate could harm hundreds of thousands of people.
If you are one of the millions of people who have federal student loans, you may be the target of scammers trying to get their hands on the money you owe.
