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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-03-09 Agricultural Advisory Committee 3/15/2022 Hybrid Members Present: Evan Carpenter (Chair), Marie McRae, Kim LaMotte, Steve Foote, Brian Magee Absent: Austin Beck Liaisons: Loren Sparling (Town Board) Guest(s): The meeting was called to order at 7:30 PM. On motion made by K LaMotte, seconded by S Foote, minutes dated 2/9/2022 and 2/18/2022 were unanimously approved as written. Comprehensive Plan The committee has been discussing the Comprehensive Plan and have been making suggestions to the Planning Board. On page 58 there’s a comparison being made between farm parcel evaluations. Dryden farms are valued at $507k and crop farms are valued at $225k. What’s the value of even having that in the comp plan? Town of Dryden Ag and Farmland Production plan adopted in 2018 identified that farming in the Town of Dryden generates a total of $15 million dollars in ag product sales, nearly 1 quarter of ag sales for Tompkins County. What’s the purpose of having this in the plan? This is misleading to most people. Where did that number come from? That was a guesstimate. Was it mostly milk sales? Yes. In the Town of Dryden, roughly 2500 cows milking at 8500 lbs that generates about $1 million a month just on the dairy side. That’s $13 million just on the dairy side. S Foote doesn’t think $15 million is out of line. On page 63 there is a heading that says, “The goal is preserve, promote & support the towns agricultural lands” and under that there are 7 actions. Action 1 is coordinate with county wide protection efforts. Action 2 is review existing zoning and revise as necessary to maximize protections for high quality farmlands. Action 3 is reviewing the towns solar law to ensure high quality farmland soils are protected and to encourage compatible farming activities with solar developments. Action 4 is conduct continuing outreach to farmers and producers to identify and address specific concerns related to farmland and farming In Dryden. Action 5 is foster increase collaborations between Cornell, TC3, local farms, and Dryden to encourage and support agricultural production. Action 6 is to support pop up market places an farmers market throughout the year. Action 7 is to identify resources and funding to support farmers in using sustainable farming practice. M McRae is wondering what the board thinks of these actions. E Carpenter says the word sustainable means different things to different people. The resolution the ag committee recently passed stated they will not endorse or reject any specific practice. Sustainable has many different interpretations. Lately sustainable has seemed to be used as a green/organic term. Between North Road and 13 between Dedricks and Stairs, there’s a couple hundred acres that are of statewide importance and they have that all for notal development and strongly encouraged mixed use development in that area. That’s good farmland there. (Found on page 111). On page 123 they still left the minimum of 3 acres for the lots, they didn’t shrink that at all. On page 59, the ag focus area with the map that has an overlay between ag district and the northeast ag district. The map doesn’t make sense and the committee asked them to just put a map of the ag district in the Town of Dryden and they did not include that. The Planning Board said they would put it in but did not. S Foote thinks that one is critical to be there. Years ago the lot size needed to be 5 acres and thought that would protect farmland, but it chopped it up to pieces that much faster. Slaterville is saying 10 acres now in their new zoning. That chops up a farm and farmland quickly. Future land use is a tough one because if someone wanted to sell their land to a housing development, who are we to say no? But they seem to be planning on it to be going there. E Banwell is going to put another list of suggestions together to send back to the Planning Board and Town Board There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:25 PM. Respectfully submitted, Emily Banwell