Yates County Conducting 8-year Agricultural District Review

Agricultural districts help farmers protect and conserve farmland within the state thereby encouraging farming enterprises. If you are in an Ag District, your farming operation is protected by the New York State Ag and Markets right-to-farm laws, which limit rules and regulations that otherwise would be overly burdensome. You are still responsible for complying with all town rules and regulations. NYS Agriculture and Markets Law section 303 requires counties to thoroughly review the lands within their agricultural districts every eight years.

The review aims to determine if land within the districts is viable farmland and/or used for agricultural purposes. Although parcels can be added to the Agricultural District annually, land may only be removed from the district during the 8-Year review. In the next few weeks, if your property is located within Yates County Agricultural District #1, you will receive a letter informing you of the 8-year Agricultural District review with instructions on adding or removing parcels.

Why did I get a letter from the Farmland Protection Board of Yates County?

According to Yates County Real Property records, your parcel is located within Agricultural District #1. All landowners of Agricultural District #1 parcels must receive a notification of the 8-year review. The Farmland Protection Board, in partnership with the County Planning Department, Yates Soil and Water, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Yates County, is responsible for conducting the 8-year review.

What is the purpose of an Agricultural District?

Agricultural District No. 1 was established in Yates County in 1975. There are approximately 146,784 acres of land in the Yates County Agricultural District. Agricultural Districts are meant to identify agricultural lands to defend and support farmers within the district by providing protections against nuisance lawsuits involving their farming practices and against overly restrictive local laws that would inhibit a farmer’s ability to run a profitable farm business. Being in an agricultural district provides advantages for farmers, such as:

• Limits to Local Regulation — Local governments cannot enact any rules or regulations in agricultural districts that would make it difficult or impossible to continue with agricultural production.

Source: fltimes.com

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