Profiles of Best Practices (For an Adobe Acrobat version of this profile, click here!) Growing and Expanding Area Business—Farmland Preservation
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Situation
Bayfield, Wisconsin is a gateway to the Apostle Islands and is experiencing
growth due to second home and retirement construction in an area of great
scenic beauty. The Town of Bayfield has unique soils and temperatures
that provide an excellent microclimate for a strong fruit industry on
Lake Superior. Many of the orchards are located in areas of high scenic
value with views of Lake Superior. Growers are under pressure to sell
their orchards for residential development, yet many want to continue
farming as a way of life.
Economic Development Strategies
The goal is to preserve the land that supports the fruit industry. The
Town of Bayfield voted to establish a Farmland Preservation Program that
would pay growers for the development rights on their farms. The value
of these development rights is the difference between the value of the
land if it were to be developed and the value of the land if it were to
remain in agriculture. The grower still owns the land, but the land is
permanently restricted from development. In the fall of 2002, the first
applications will be ranked and work will begin to develop the transactions
to permanently protect the land by purchasing the development rights.
Implementation
In spring of 2000, the Town established a study committee that researched
farmland preservation techniques. The result was a proposal to implement
a Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program. In the summer of 2002,
the Town residents voted to financially support the program with local
tax dollars. The residents voted to contribute up to $330,000 in the next
eight years to purchase development rights. In addition, the Town is seeking
$500,000 in federal funds through the 2002 Farm Bill to match the local
funds. The remainder of the $1,000,000 initiative is being sought through
private foundations, individual gifts and other grants.
In addition to the creation of a PDR program
to preserve farmland in the Bayfield region, the community also supports
farming in other ways. For instance, the town’s land use plan identifies
its first goal as one of preserving the rural character and the fruit
microclimate that make the area special and contribute greatly to the
local economy. In addition, an annual "Applefest" celebration
of the area’s apple orchards is a huge event that regularly draws
between 35,000-50,000 people to the area in early October each year. The
event is a major market for fruit growers, yet it also accounts for up
to 10% of sales for downtown merchants
Partners and Leadership
Throughout the development of the Farmland Preservation Program, the Town
worked closely with the Bayfield Regional Conservancy, a local land trust
organization. The BRC will administer the program and co-hold the conservation
easements that restrict the future use for farming.
Outcomes
The Town hopes to purchase development rights on at least 600 acres of
the most critical fruit-growing land over the next 8 years. Preserving
a core of agricultural lands will be necessary to insure the continued
viability of fruit growing as a part of the local economy.
Contact
Ruth Oppedahl
Bayfield Regional Conservancy
PO Box 410
Bayfield, WI 54814
715-779-LAND (5263)
brc@brcland.org
www.brcland.org
Tom Gordon
Town of Bayfield
Cty Trk J
Bayfield, WI 54814
715-373-6100
