LIVINGSTON COUNTY – The Livingston County Board of Supervisors designated the month of September as the 30-day annual period for submission of petitions by landowners to join an existing Agricultural District.
According to a press release from the Livingston County Planning Board, since Sept. 17, 2004, the New York State Agricultural and Markets Law has allowed for parcels to be added into Agricultural Districts on an annual basis. In the past, landowners had to wait until an Agricultural District ‘opened up’ for review, typically once every eight years, to request inclusion into an agricultural district.
With the revision to the Ag and Markets Law, every county that contains a certified agricultural district is required to establish an annual 30-day period for landowners to submit requests for inclusion of ‘viable agricultural land,’ that being land that is highly suitable for a commercial farm operation, into an Agricultural District.
Landowners must submit their requests along with the tax map identification number and a description of the farming activities on the land within the 30-day period in order to be considered for inclusion into an Agricultural District. Landowners may not request to be taken out of an Agricultural District. Requests for removal may only be granted when an Agricultural District is undergoing its eight-year review.
After September, the Livingston County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has 30 days to review requests and report to the Livingston County Board of Supervisors its recommendation as to whether the land to be included in the Agricultural District consists predominantly of ‘viable agricultural land’ and whether the inclusion of such land would serve the public interest by assisting in maintaining a viable agricultural industry within the district.
The recommendation of the AFPB is forwarded to the Board of Supervisors to hold a public hearing for acceptance. After the public hearing, the Board of Supervisors sends the resolution to include new parcels into existing Agricultural Districts to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets, where the request will be reviewed and certified.
Questions about the 30-day Agricultural District inclusion period can be directed to the Livingston County Planning Department at (585) 243-7550. Petitions for inclusion should be submitted to the Livingston County Planning Department, 6 Court Street – Room 305, Geneseo, NY, 14454 by Sept. 29, 2017.
(Photo/Andrew Seaman via Flickr.com)