Rural Agricultural Land Use
A Case Study of The Town of Chatham, NY

Located in northern Columbia County, the Town of Chatham, NY is approximately 30 miles from Albany and is the last stop on the Taconic Parkway before connecting to Interstate 90, which provides easy access to the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Historically an agricultural community, Chatham is experiencing pressure from developers targeting it as a prime destination for the New York and Boston second home market. Many of the Town’s population of 4,000 are second homeowners, and more houses are appearing in vacant fields every year.

In 2003, the community was in the process of updating its 30 year old comprehensive plan, a direct result of development pressures and a sincere desire by residents to have input regarding how and where development would occur. The community was also interested in learning about land preservation tools that could be used to protect their farms.

The Town’s Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee had been working for approximately 18 months but not making much headway. When Glynwood was contacted by community representatives about Keep Farming, they noted in their letter:

The “Keep Farming” assessment will help us to obtain the data we need while not spending unnecessary time deciding what to do next. We would like to take advantage of this very strong research and analysis tool. The Town of Chatham is subject to growth pressures typical in the Towns that comprise the Hudson River Valley. We believe this project can enhance the perspective of all participants regarding the issues and challenges facing the region.

Chatham experienced some remarkable effects resulting from the information-gathering by its Keep Farming assessment teams. One eye-opening fact they discovered was how much money farmers spent each year in the community. The Agriculture Economic Assessment showed that they spend at least $1.25 million each year locally, purchasing goods and services. Farmers depend on local services like feed, equipment repair, and animal care services. If the farms were no longer a part of the community, the support services would no longer be there either.

With the information gathering and assessment completed, Chatham now had specific information to refer to, and non-farming residents in particular gained a new appreciation of how important agriculture is to the local economy.

The Keep Farming assessment process also showed that little of the community’s farmland was protected and that 60% of the land being farmed was not owned by farmers (almost two-thirds of the total acreage in agriculture is used by commodity dairy farmers). Residents realized that over half of the farmland in production was at risk.

When Chatham began Keep Farming, the Town was interested in developing a Purchase of Development Rights program. But, an advisor brought in by Glynwood showed that Chatham could not support a PDR program. Glynwood’s training helped the Town gain a better understanding of other tools and strategies that could be used to support land preservation. As a consequence, Chatham has moved ahead with creating a Community Preservation Fund for farmland preservation that is funded through a 2% real estate transfer fee.

Throughout the Keep Farming process, farmers were involved and served as members of the Community Agriculture Partnership (CAP). Recommendations on strategies to be implemented in the community relating to agriculture were agreed upon by the farmers and it was the farmers who presented the final recommendations to the Town.

Chatham has since created a permanent role for the CAP as a Town committee. Now all Town initiatives that may have an impact on farming must be approved by the CAP.

Chatham completed its Comprehensive Plan and incorporated the recommendations from Keep Farming into the Plan’s section relating to agriculture. In 2007, Chatham was one of the first communities in the state to receive a Municipal Planning Grant from the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets. The grant was used to review the Town’s agriculture and farmland protection efforts. Chatham completed its Agricultural Land Preservation Plan in 2009. The plan includes the Town’s vision and goals for preserving farmland and promoting a viable agriculture economy. It has been approved by the Town, County and the Commissioner of New York State Department of Agriculture.

On June 17, 2010 the Chatham Town Board held a public hearing and officially voted to append the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan to the Town’s Comprehensive Plan.

The CAP also understands how important it is to constantly educate the community about agriculture and farming activities in Chatham. A website has been established to keep the community informed about Keep Farming and ag-related activities. An Essential Guide to Agriculture in Chatham is produced each year to educate residents about local farms, farmers, land preservation techniques and why buying local is so important. The CAP also hosts an annual Farm Film Fest at a local theater, featuring a variety of short films about farming and concluding with a discussion about the state of farming in Chatham. This education program has been very helpful in continuing the community support for agriculture.

Five years after completing the Keep Farming, Chatham reports that there has been zero loss of farm land.

Agricultural Economic Development
A Case Study of The Town of Durham, NY

Located in the Catskill Mountains in Greene County, the Town of Durham launched its Keep Farming initiative in 2007 after receiving a New York State Department of State Quality Communities grant. The focus of the Durham project is the development of a strategic business plan to improve the economic viability of farmers in the northern Catskills.

Once a thriving dairy community, many of Durham’s dairy farms had closed due to the poor milk market and the increasing cost of production. Durham has the best agricultural soils in the county but due to its topography, much of the land is best suited for grazing. Many of the former farms have been purchased by New York City residents who come to the area to ski. Though these individuals have no wish to sell their land for development, much of the land is going fallow or is being used for hay.

In preliminary discussions with Glynwood’s Keep Farming staff, the Town’s Agricultural Committee believed that the best economic development plan for the region would be creation of a local dairy processing facility, even though there were only two small dairy farms operating in the area. Glynwood proposed that completing the first phase of Keep Farming – including an assessment of the state of agriculture in the Town – would at least enable development of a business plan based on facts and trends.

Durham has had a remarkable Keep Farming experience because new ideas have created new and unexpected opportunities that the Town would not have been aware of, and local farmers now have the support they need to increase their economic viability.

The Keep Farming assessment showed that the Town contains large parcels of forest land owned by local residents. An advisor brought in through Keep Farming informed the landowners that they have some of the best forest land in the state. Many of the land owners however are not productively managing their wood lots, instead allowing logging companies to harvest trees indiscriminately.

The Keep Farming assessment also revealed that there are several livestock growers in the Town, but that they lack the infrastructure needed to take advantage of markets that would provide them with greater income. The assessment further showed that several farmers were interested in developing agri-tourism but lacked expertise to get started.

After completing the Keep Farming assessment, the Ag Committee concluded that there was no capacity to sustain a regional dairy processing facility. However, based on an analysis of the data collected and the advisor brought in by Glynwood, the Committee decided that several agricultural business opportunities could be readily implemented to the benefit of the farmers, the local business community and the region’s environment.

As a result, Durham is pursuing better management of forests and new options for forestry products they had never thought about before. Keep Farming revealed that Durham’s woodlots had also once been a source of maple syrup. Landowners learned of maple syrup entrepreneurs who will rent Durham trees and do the tapping. And because it is an agricultural product, non-farming landowners who allow tapping on their land will qualify for the ag tax exemption.

Through contacts introduced by Glynwood to Durham, livestock producers have benefited by finding a market that pays top dollar for grass fed-beef. And business templates have been developed for farmers who want to increase their herds and transition to grass-based livestock.

Finally, through recommendations and information provided by Keep Farming, the community has begun to explore ideas for agri-tourism on its farms. Durham was once a mountain recreation destination, and could be again if the Town puts policies and infrastructure in place to draw people to its farms. An influx of tourism would benefit other businesses in the region, providing another multiplier effect.

Urban/Suburban Agriculture
A Case Study in Rockland County, NY

Once a thriving agricultural region, Rockland County is now a highly developed suburban community just 35 minutes outside of New York City. One-third of its land base is in state parkland. Rockland County’s Keep Farming program is an inter-municipal community process that is supporting the Rockland Farm Alliance’s efforts to preserve and increase agriculture in the County in a way that is sustainable and creates markets for Rockland farmers.

Through the Keep Farming process, the Rockland Farm Alliance discovered that farming in urban areas was changing and that there are people who want to farm and can make a living on smaller parcels of farm land.

As a consequence, on June 30, 2010 Rockland County and the Town of Clarkstown signed an agreement with the Rockland Farm Alliance to cultivate five acres on the Cropsey Farm. The farm—originally purchased by the Cropsey family in 1893 and actively farmed until 2006—had been purchased by Rockland County and Clarkstown through their open space preservation program. Had the land not been preserved, existing zoning would have allowed for development of as many as 48 single family homes on the farm.

Because of Keep Farming, the Cropsey Farm will now be known as one of two working farms in Rockland where children can come to learn and experience agriculture and farming. The Rockland Farm Alliance has also developed a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) operation to help fund the farm.

In 2010, Hudson River Valley Greenway—a state agency that coordinates with local and County governments to develop and enhance local land-use planning techniques—awarded its largest grant to the Rockland Farm Alliance to help support the development of the Cropsey Farm. This grant was a direct result of the Keep Farming process.

The Rockland Farm Alliance has since become a not-for-profit organization, which now has a membership of over 1,000 volunteers.

This demonstrated support for farming has spurred the County Legislature to reinstitute the Rockland Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board and pass a resolution to support farming in 12 Rockland Towns and villages.