Jeff Co 2008 Pre-App Final

In response to growing interest among local farmers in the State’s Farmland Protection Implementation Grants (FPIG) Program, Jefferson County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has adopted a pre-application review process in order to identify which proposed PDR projects are most likely to be competitive for State grant funds.

PROCESS

As described under REVIEW & SELECTION, all pre-applications received will be reviewed and ranked. Applicants of pre-applications chosen by the Board will have authorization to proceed with development of a full application, to be submitted by the County to the State. AFPB review criteria reflect the State’s FPIG Program priorities.

PRE-APPLICATION DEADLINE

Pre-applications must be received by Jefferson County AFPB on or before the close of business June 9, 2008. Mail or hand-deliver (1) original to:

Local agency staff from the Agriculture Development Corporation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Soil and Water Conservation District, and the County Planning Department will undergo a preliminary review and ranking of FPIG applications based on established criteria. The top ranking applications will be presented to the AFPB for final review, ranking and selection. The AFPB will meet to review and rank FPIG pre-applications. A meeting date has not yet been established, but will be announced publicly through the press. The AFPB will consider all criteria in its evaluation including farm viability, development pressure and environmental benefit indicators.

At this time, New York State has not issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Farmland Protection Program. Although there is no guarantee that funding will be made available this year, we are initiating the pre-application review process now so that approved applicants may have maximum amount of time to prepare full proposals once the RFP is issued.

Please contact Jefferson County Agriculture Development Corp.; 782-1806 or, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County; 788-8450 or Soil and Water Conservation District; 782-2749 or Jefferson County Planning Department; 785-3144 with any questions or concerns about the Pre-Application. Please contact Judy Wright, American Farmland Trust consultant (315-255-2508) with any questions about the State Farmland Protection Program.

Jefferson County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board

Pre-Application

1) Owner Name(s)____________________________________________________________________________

3) Mailing Address________________________________________________________________

6) Nature of farm operation _____________________________________________________________________

7a) No. of Acres Owned _________ 7b) No. of Acres Tillable _____________ 7c) No. of Acres to be Protected for Crop and/or Livestock Production______________ 7d) Do you anticipate excluding any future building lots? If so, how many and total number of acres _______________________________________________________

8) Please list tax map ID numbers for all parcels included in your FPIG proposal, as well as all individuals/ entities with ownership interest in those parcels. ALL OWNERS MUST SIGN THE CERTIFICATION STATEMENT ON PAGE 6 OF THIS PRE-APPLICATION FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE AFPB.

9) Is your farm located within an agricultural district? _______________ Yes _________________ No

10) Describe the nature of land use adjacent to your farm, including a description of the level of farm and non-farm activity occurring within a 1-mile radius of your farm.

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11) Please describe your level of farm management. Do you have a nutrient management plan? Have you participated in Jefferson County Soil & Water Conservation District programs? What other activities have you undertaken that demonstrate best practices in farm management?

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12) Please describe major investments you have made in your farm to date, such as barns, irrigation, fruit trees, drainage tile, manure storage, etc. Include dates of investment.

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13) Have you completed Tier 1 and Tier 2 of the State’s Agricultural Environmental Management Program (required)? ________ Yes ________ No If yes please list the dates of completion for Tiers 1 and 2 __________________________________________________.

If no, you are not eligible to apply to the County’s Farmland Protection Program. The Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District provides Tier 1 and Tier 2 AEM services at no cost to the landowner. Please contact the District at 782-2749 to go through this process prior to submission of the pre-application. In extenuating circumstances, exceptions may be made. Please contact Jefferson County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board, c/o County Planning, 175 Arsenal Street, Watertown at 785-3144 to discuss further.

14) Please explain briefly why you would like to include your farm in the State’s PDR Program.

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15) Please describe your plans for farm succession____________________________________________________________________________

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16) List the public roads your farm fronts, and the number of feet of frontage for each:

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17) What is the proximity of your farm to public water? ___________________________________________

18) What is the proximity of your farm to public sewer? ___________________________________________

19) Does your farm provide access to, or is it part of, a scenic vista? If yes, please describe:

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20) Please describe the development pressure around your farm. Quantify if possible with number of subdivisions, building permits, new home construction in your area over the past several years.

21) Is your farm located within a public water source area (includes watersheds, reservoirs, aquifers and other water recharge areas)? If yes, please describe:

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22) Does your farm front a stream, river, lake, or other surface water body? If yes, please describe, and provide the number of feet of frontage for each water body:

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23) Is your farm located within a floodplain or does it contain wetlands? If yes, please describe. Please provide the number of acres of wetland if applicable.

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24) Does your farm serve as a buffer to a significant natural resource ? If yes, please describe. (e.g. maintain vegetative buffer strips or no-till zones along stream corridors; providing buffer to adjacent parkland; etc.)

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25) Have you initiated conversation with a local land trust (e.g.Tug Hill Tomorrow or Thousand Islands) to discuss holding the conservation easement on your property? ___________yes ___________no

25a) Name of person you’ve been working with_____________________________________________________

25b) Name of land trust organization______________________________________________________________

26) Local Match: NYS Farmland Protection Program will fund up to 75% of the value of development rights on farmland. Typically, farmers will commit to a “bargain sale” of their development rights, meaning that they will accept 75% of the value from the state, and assume the remaining 25% as an in-kind contribution. Please indicate your willingness to assume 25% of the value of development rights on your farm.

I will provide the required 25% local match through bargain sale of my development rights _________________.

I will not provide the required 25% local match through bargain sale of my development rights ______________.

27) Is the property in good standing (no more than 12 months in arrears) with local tax authorities (ie, Village, Town, County or School)? __________________ yes ________________________no

Certification: I (we) certify that all information presented in this pre-application is, to the best of my (our) knowledge, accurate and true. Note: To be signed by all owners indentified in # 8.