Columbia County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan
Farming is an important engine of economic activity, and with strategic planning it could play a larger, more beneficial role in our economy.
Kenneth J. Flood, Columbia County Commissioner of Planning And Economic Development
Agriculture is Columbia County’s foremost industry and an important part of the local economy. But money isn’t the only reason to support farming. A flourishing farm sector is also one of the best ways to conserve our wildlife habitats, landscapes, and our rural quality of life.
A coalition made up of the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corporation (HVADC) and the Columbia Land Conservancy is now working with the County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board to craft a plan to support and promote local agriculture. The 18-month planning process starts with an inventory of farming throughout the county with an assessment of its strengths and needs, its economic value, open space value, and the consequences of conversion. The final plan will set out an explicit action agenda for the County with strategies to support and sustain both farming and the farmer.
The success of this 18-month planning depends upon broad public input, especially from the farming community. To kick-off the process, a written survey has been distributed to producers and a series of seven focus groups for farmers and the general public have been held since January 2011 in different parts of the county. Comments from the focus groups ranged across many topics, from marketing issues to farmer-landowner relationships, taxes, and regulation. Notes from each focus group and a summary of the major issues are available.
Continue to check this page for updated information as the planning process progresses. The farmland protection plan is expected to be finalized by mid-2012. The process is supported in part by the New York State Farmland Protection Program with extensive in-kind support from the working committee.For more information, contact Ellen Jouret-Epstein, the Columbia Land Conservancy’s Community Projects Manager, at 518.392.5252, extension 208, or ellen@clctrust.org
Maps
Developed Agriculture Parcels
Agriculture Soils Map
Agriculture Land Protection Priority Map
Agriculture Districts & Soils Map
Agriclture Districts Map