The Columbia County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan is out for public review
I worked on the mapping and spatial analysis aspects of this plan. I helped the board identify all of the active farmland in the county, and lead them through a LESA process, producing a prioritized list of farms and farmland to protect. The press release follows:
To help guide the sustainability of agriculture on a county-wide basis, the Columbia County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has developed a county-wide plan focused on agricultural economic development and farmland protection. The culmination of this two year project is the release of a draft Protection Plan for the county. The complete document, with appendices, can be located on the web at: https://sites.google.com/a/columbiacountyny.com/columbia-county-agriculture-and-farmland-board/plan. Hard copies of the plan are available at County Office Building, 401 State St, Hudson, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office located at 479 Rte. 66, Hudson, NY and at the Farm Credit office, 190 New York 9H, Claverack.
Public input at the beginning of the project was solicited to learn what the current and emerging issues facing agriculture are in Columbia County. The AFPB has set up a series of listening sessions in January and February of 2013 to solicit input from county residents regarding the draft document. Residents have the opportunity to participate in one of the following meetings:
- January 22 – 6:00 – 7:00 P.M., Board of Supervisors Chamber, Columbia County Office, 401 State St., Hudson, NY
- February 2 – 10:00 A.M. – Noon, Stuyvesant Town Hall, Stuyvesant, NY
- February 9 – 10:00 A.M. – Noon, Ancram Town Hall, Ancram, NY
If you cannot make any of the scheduled meetings, your comments are still welcomed. Please contact Mary Ann Johnson at Hudson Valley Agricultural Development Corporation at 518-432-5360 or at majohnson@hvadc.org.