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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAppendix B6 Agriculture Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐80 B.6 Agriculture  Nelson Eddy farm  Before World War II, agriculture was a major economic sector and the predominant land use in the Town of Ithaca. Despite the formidable barriers to farming presented by terrain, soils, and climate, the Town produced and exported significant amounts of wheat and other agriculture products beginning around 1800. Throughout the 19th century, potatoes, hay, tobacco, grain, fruit, and dairy and meat products were sent to market from the numerous farms dotting East Hill, South Hill, Inlet Valley, and West Hill. Although agriculture in the Town has declined since the end of World War II, it is still the predominant land use in several portions of the Town. Farming areas are concentrated in the western part of the Town along the borders of Enfield and Ulysses and extend in places into these other towns. Portions of South Hill also are actively farmed, and Cornell University uses areas of East Hill for agricultural research and teaching. Farmland, and the farmers who work the land, contribute to the well-being of all Town residents. In addition to the direct contribution to the local economy through production and employment, local farmers also make significant indirect contributions to the local economy through the purchase of equipment and supplies and through their relatively low demands on costly public infrastructure. The rural character of the Town—enjoyed by Town residents and essential to the local tourist industry—is provided largely by local farmers and State Parks. Perhaps most importantly, farmers in the Town of Ithaca have established a tradition of stewardship of the land and its resources. Agriculture in the Town of Ithaca reflects agriculture in the region. Even though the number of farms is relatively small, agriculture in the Town is surprisingly diverse, in both types of operations and their longevity. Enterprises include dairies, vineyards and wineries, direct-marketed produce (via area farmers markets, U-pick tree-fruit and berry crops, farm markets, or roadside stands), field crops, forest crops, landscaping and nursery stock, Christmas trees, greenhouses, horses, beef, chickens, fiber products, and even a “corn maze sound garden.” There are newly developing farm operations, farms that have been operating 20 to 50 years, and several multigenerational farms.   Town  of Ithaca 2014 Comprehensive Plan B‐81 There are approximately 3,412 acres of agricultural land in the Town of Ithaca (including Cornell University agricultural lands): 2,832 actively farmed acres and 580 fallow acres. Approximately 2,533 acres receive an agricultural property-tax assessment. Of the 2,533 acres receiving agricultural assessment, 1,058 acres (42%) are rented to farmers. This is evidence that rural landowners value the opportunity to keep land in agriculture and enjoy the tax benefit of agricultural assessment, but in some cases the owner farms some of the land and another farmer uses the rest. However, this also points out that should landowners decide not to rent land to farmers, it could have a significant impact on the farm operation specifically and on the amount of farming in general in the Town. Agricultural operations range from start-ups, to family-run only, to farm businesses employing seasonal and/or year- around help. Most of the farms (among those whose owners were interviewed as part of the development of the Town’s Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan) employ many farm-family members, including 14 full-time and 30 part-time positions in all. These farms also have paid non-family staff providing a total of 13 full-time and nine part-time year-round jobs and 15 full-time and 10 part-time seasonal jobs (seasons range from a few to nine months). Farm size is not an indicator of economic viability; some of the medium-sized farms are being worked just enough to keep the land open, meet the criteria for agricultural assessment, pay taxes, and provide some money for reinvestment. Some of the smaller operations have the highest sales and employ the most people. Six farms report six-figure annual gross incomes; two gross close to or over $1 million annually. As reported during the interviews in 2009, using the high sides of ranges given, the total value of agricultural products is approximately $4,431,000. Town agriculture is not isolated within the Town’s boundaries; several operations cross borders into neighboring towns (Danby, Dryden, Enfield, and Ulysses). In one case, Town of Ithaca land supports a landscaping business in Lansing. This illustrates the need to consider a regional approach to farm and agricultural-land preservation and to work with adjacent municipalities whenever possible. Cornell University, through many of its colleges and departments, has a large agricultural presence on East Hill in the Town of Ithaca. Cornell has various teaching and research facilities related to agriculture, provides services to local farmers (veterinary care, research, resource for questions, etc.), and supports local agriculture through purchasing and selling agricultural products (hay, fruits, compost, etc.) and purchasing materials and equipment locally. The Town of Ithaca adopted the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan (AFPP) in November 2011 which outlines ways the Town and other organizations can help to support and encourage agriculture in the Town. The AFPP can be found in Appendix I, which provides additional background information on agriculture in the Town along with specific goals and recommendations and implementation steps.