HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-10-19Dryden Ag Committee
October 19, 2016
Dryden Agriculture Advisory Committee
October 19, 2016
Members present: Kim LaMotte (Vice-Chair), Joe Osmeloski, Steve Foote, Brian
Magee (at 8PM) and Evan Carpenter (at 8:15PM)
Liaisons: Craig Schutt (Conservation Board) and John Kiefer (Planning Board)
Guests: Debbie Teeter
The meeting was called to order at 7:35PM.
Ag Protection Plan
- Ms. Teeter shared a draft of the entire Ag Protection Plan. There are some areas
that are shaded – those are the areas that she is still working on. She has
added the recommendations from George Frantz regarding zoning that he
provided a couple of months ago.
- Ms. Teeter asked the Committee for pictures of local farms. She has generated a
list of maps that she is asking the Planning Department to provide.
- She shared the Tompkins County maps depicting the Dryden Agriculture
Resources Focus Area (ARFA). The maps were developed (based on a prior
project by George Frantz) when the County was determining the priority lands
for protection under the Purchase Development Rights plan. The Ag Committee
now needs to determine if they agree with the County ARFA designations or
they need to identify the lands that they consider important for protection.
- J. Osmeloski asked what the criteria should be when determining what lands to
protect. D. Teeter suggested overlapping the map of Dryden with the soils maps.
C. Schutt pointed out that some farmers have been very successful growing
crops in less than ideal soil. D. Teeter recommended that instead of identifying
specific lands for protection, perhaps they should identify priority regions, ie.
the northeast corner of the Town. By leaving the designation vague, there will
be less chance of a quality farm area being left out.
- D. Teeter also pointed out that you can have prime soils but the slope of the
land affects the viability.
Goals and Strategies –
- The survey results that were generated and shared a few months ago were
weighted to make it easier to see the priorities. The Committee has wondered
how D. Teeter weighted the responses: all of the “high priority” ratings were
multiplied by 3, “medium priority” ratings were multiplied by 2 and “low
priority” ratings were multiplied by 1.
- The survey results will be included in the appendix. The priorities will be listed
and will be used to guide the Ag Committee’s future actions.
Report from Conservation Board:
Dryden Ag Committee
October 19, 2016
- C. Schutt shared his report for the Conservation Board. They are creating a
Natural Resources Conservation Plan (NRCP) and one of the sections is related
to Agriculture and Agricultural Protection. He asked for feedback and
suggestions from the Committee.
Other business:
- The DEC is considering a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for all of Cayuga
Lake. A draft plan will be presented in January. County Ag Farmland Protection
Board and Farm Bureau will be holding a meeting for farmers and ag land
owners about the program but they want feedback from the community.
- C. Schutt said the TMDL could have serious implications because it is based on
phosphorus. The Towns may be surprised at some of the things they need to do
to meet the requirements (digging ditches without seeding/re-vegetation).
- One source of phosphorus increases is Lake Source Cooling because they pull
out of the deep water and then releasing the water at a shallower level.
- Fall Creek is probably the largest contributor to the high levels and although
the entire lake will be affected by the TMDL, the area affected is the southern
part of the lake, along the shelf.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Erin A. Bieber
Deputy Town Clerk