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AREA IN CLARK CO. RECOMMENDED FOR AG ENTERPRISE
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 -- 12:39 pm
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
Another 140,000 acres of Wisconsin rural property may soon be protected under the Agricultural Enterprise Area program. Some of that land is in Clark County.
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture announced that seven petitions were submitted for consideration into the program this spring, with five areas being recommended to receive official designations as AEAs. So far, over 200,000 acres of farmland has been designated as AEAs under the Working Lands Initiative.
The recommended areas had petitions jointly submitted by more than 250 landowners, 12 towns and four county governments, including Calumet, Clark, Dodge and Sauk.
Clark County’s Area would be called the Heart of America's Dairyland AEA, Clark County: The petitioners did extensive outreach to involve communities. A leader in dairy production, this area also supports vegetables, fruit, nursery and bedding plants. Potential local partnerships include economic development corporations, an agribusiness park and the Central Wisconsin Agribusiness Innovation Center.
To become officially designated, the recommended areas must go through a public rule making process, which requires a public hearing and approval by the state agriculture board. Designations are anticipated to take effect January 1, 2012.
Once designated, landowners within the area can choose to enter into a 15-year farmland preservation agreement with the state. Landowners with an agreement can claim an income tax credit worth $5 per acre, or $10 per acre if the land is also within a certified farmland preservation zoning district. In exchange for this tax credit, the landowner voluntarily commits to maintain their land in agricultural use for 15 years.
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