Farmland protection continues to be a priority

WASHINGTON — A Farmland Protection Committee is in the works for the town of Washington. On Thursday, June 9, at the Town Board meeting, board members discussed the importance of putting together a committee for the agricultural community. This committee would reach out to farmers and people who have agricultural land in a variety of ways, said Town Clerk Mary Alex.“These are people whose livelihoods depend on this and want to see it maintained,” said Councilman Mike Murphy. Councilman Bobby Audia agreed.“We think of farms as cows, but it’s much bigger than that,” he said. “We are talking about the people that make the maple syrup and so on.”The town of Washington had made an application to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets for a grant in the past, said Alex. However, the town thought that the grant could be used for the comprehensive plan, but the money from the state was only to establish a farmland protection ordinance law, said Alex.“The Town Board didn’t think it was necessary to establish a full law for it,” said Alex. “They know there is a need to protect agriculture and open space, but by creating another law — they didn’t think that was the way to go about it at the time.”Without the law a person with a farm or agricultural operation will have more freedom to do business instead of being restricted by legislation, said Alex. Currently the Town Board is working to put the Farmland Protection Committee in place. At the board meeting prior to the June 9 meeting, the board voted to not have a farmland protection board but instead a commission, said town Supervisor Florence Prisco. During the June 9 meeting the board discussed how a Farmland Protection Committee may have parallel ideas to the town’s comprehensive plan, and that having such a committee will help update the comprehensive plan.“I think we want to get this off the ground, to help the comprehensive plan,” said Prisco. The Farmland Protection Committee will not only work to provide comments to the Planning Board but also be a source of information for farmers, said Rebecca Valt, attorney for the village and town.“This will provide information on where there are grant opportunities and other things,” said Valt. “This will be interesting, having a beneficial source of information available for farmers.”

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