Just Down the Road

 In 1957, after moving from the Poughkeepsie area to what we then referred to as "the sticks," I was amazed at the number and variety of local working farms in Waits Corners. It didn't take long for me, a former city girl, to fall in love with rural living and become a nature lover, farmer and what Junior calls "a tree hugging hippie."  

 Looking back, I think there were about eight small to medium sized dairy farms, a large "egg factory," a few beef enterprises, and maybe some sheep. Nowadays, productive agricultural in Waits Corners consist of three dairy farms that have expanded in land and herd size, deer and elk farm, and a Christmas tree plantation. 

 The agricultural evolution of Waits Corners is similarly occurring in low development pressure farming areas throughout the Northeast. Empty barns, often deteriorating, dot the landscape. Road frontage is steadily parceled off for residences. If nobody is willing to cultivate or pasture the farmland, Mother Nature takes over, eventually returning it to forestland. Here and there a developer gobbles farmland and spits out many housing lots.

 Unquestionably, valley farmland faces greater development pressure. Personal observations, backed by valid statistics, reveal a dramatic decline in agriculturally related businesses and a dramatic increase in the loss of highly productive farmland to housing, public services/infrastructure, gravel mining, industrial parks, etc. Universally, farmland has been, is being or will continue to be lost forever, usually for economic reasons. 

 In a progressive society changes are inevitable and where there is money there is power. Most people, when enticed with an exorbitant amount of money for a prized possession, will seriously consider accepting the offer. Farmers are no different; some are being offered many thousands of dollars an acre for the land they love and use to make a living. To some it must be an agonizing choice - keep the farm agricultural for today and future generations, passing up a truly golden opportunity, or allow their land to be destroyed for the sake of money (it's a landowner's right to sell to whomever he/she wants). Perhaps there is an alternative that might benefit farmland owners and society in general. 

 The NY Tioga County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board meets monthly with the County Legislative Agricultural Committee. For several months we have been developing guidelines and procedures for handling local applications for the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program, also known as (PACE). Successfully implemented elsewhere in New York and Pennsylvania, PDR is a voluntary program focused on permanently preserving high-quality viable farmland located in areas facing significant development pressure. In addition, our board recently heard about a grassland preservation program that could benefit quite a few landowners.

 An educational workshop providing information about PDR, the grassland preservation program, and other initiatives aimed at preserving agriculture and farmland will be held at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, September 24, at the Southside Fire Station on Waits Road in the town of Owego. Representatives of The American Farmland Trust, NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other entities will be present. Farmland owners and leaders at the county, town and village levels are encouraged to attend. 

 Directions: From exits 64 or 65 of Route 17, turn right (west) onto Route 434. You should be south of the Susquehanna. Stay on 434; at a sharp left curve by a trucking company 434 becomes Sulphur Springs Road. Partway up a steep hill bear left at the fork onto Waits Road (a large house will be to the right). The fire station is on the right after a short scenic drive along a country road.

 One final thought - if eligible, please vote September 9 between 12:00  Noon and 9:00pm.