In
response to the growing interest among local farmers in New York State's Farmland
Protection Implementation Grants (FPIG) Program, and due to increasing concerns about the
loss of valuable farmland to development in Jefferson County, the Jefferson County
Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has initiated, with approval from the
Jefferson County Board of Legislators, a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program for
Jefferson County. Agriculture is a strong compont of Jefferson County's economy, while
providing rural character that adds to the region's quality of life. Approximately 40% of
Jefferson County's land is in agricultural use. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics
Service shows in 2006 that there were 970 farms operating in jefferson County on 323,600
acres of land. To see current figures visit the NYS Department of
Agriculture's website.
The goals of the County's farmland protection program and
specifically PDR program are:
1. Retain a critical mass of agricultural land needed to
support farming and agribusiness.
2. Preserve the best land first
3. Support the protection of farmland that will enable agriculture to remain a good
steward of our natural resources.
4. Protect the quality of life and rural character that is associated with active
farms.
In order to implement a transparent system to objectively select farms to be protected,
the AFPB contracted with American Farmland Trust to design a pre-application process and
establish a ranking system to objectively select farm applications to submit to NYS's
FPIG.
At no time is there a guarantee that a farm selected from the pre-application process
and submitted to NYS's FPIG program will receive funding. The process is highly
competitive. Jefferson County's program will be based on the availability of funding from
NYS. Farms interested in the FPIG program must meet all eligibility criteria established
through the pre-application process and demonstrate a commitment with moving forward
through the easement establishment process should an application be submitted and awarded.
Here are important documents needed for consideration of entering
the pre-application process:
Round I (2008) Pre-Application
Press Release
Round I (2008) Cover Letter for
Pre-Application
Jefferson County PDR program Pre-Application
Form
Jefferson County Pre-Application
Ranking Criteria
For more information about Jefferson County's PDR program, please contact any of the
following:
Jay Matteson, Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corporation, phone (315)
782-1806, email: coordinator@comefarmwithus.com
Andy Nevin, Jefferson County Planning Department, phone (315) 785-3144
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County at (315) 788-8450
Brian Wohnsiedler, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District. phone
(315) 782-2749
The following Land Trusts have expressed interest in working with agricultural landowners
interested in Jefferson County's PDR program:
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