APB Missin Statement: T frever preserve the beautiful farmland and prductive sils f Lancaster Cunty and its rich agricultural heritage; and t create a healthy envirnment fr the lng-term sustainability f the agricultural ecnmy and farming as a way f life.
Lancaster Cunty Agricultural Preserve Bard STEWARDSHIP ~ the careful and respnsible management f smething entrusted t ne's care
Regulatry Requirements: Cunty Respnsibility Inspectins Annual Reprt Enfrcement & assciated features Change f Ownership Landwner Respnsibility Cnservatin Plan Cnstructin f buildings & changes in use AND Cnstructin f ne additinal residence Subdivisin Change f Ownership
Overview f Mnitring Requirements State: ID land inspected Name f riginal grantr & current wner Changes t number, type, lcatin r use f structures Nte Deviatins frm Cnservatin Plan Cnservatin Plan must address current peratin Describe any new structures, ID use and lcatin Cunty: Same as State AND Apprved Cunty Prgram Guidelines: Have ability t frward enfrcement issues f Cnservatin Plan t the Cnservatin District Have specific Cnservatin Practice/Plan requirements
Stewardship ensuring the integrity f each easement Change f Ownership r Cnveyance f Farm Operatr Change New Buildings & Structures Subdivisins & Lt Add-Ons Side Businesses / Rural Enterprises Easements / Rights-f-Way / Encrachments Cnservatin Plan (Practices)
Tls / Techniques used fr Stewardship: Annual Mnitring Visit Cnservatin District/ NRCS Review f Prperty Deed & Assessment Recrds Landwner / Staff & Bard Cntact Attrney / Financial Advisr Real Estate Agents Meetings & ther utreach Twnship Officials Planning Cmmissin Aerial Pht Review Mnitring Reprts/Baseline Data Ag Tracking System database Scanned Dcuments Wrd f muth ~ listening Tax Assessment Office
Annual & Bi-Annual Mnitring / Inspectin Visits The Lancaster Cunty Agricultural Preserve Bard is respnsible fr mnitring clse t 900 Agricultural Cnservatin Easements (ACEs) APB Staff 3 Staff Cntracted - 1 Staff (Lancaster Farmland Trust) Lancaster Cunty Cnservatin District Verificatin f Implementatin f Cnservatin Plan/Practices
Stewardship Cmmittee
Stewardship Cmmittee cnsists f an APB member, a cnservatin planner and a preserved farm wner/peratr Duties: Review Cnservatin Plan cmpliance f farms preserved thrugh the Agricultural Preserve Bard, and recmmend actin t the Agricultural Preserve Bard
What triggers a preserved farm fr Stewardship Cmmittee Review? 1) Rural Enterprise, Subdivisin r Lt Add-On Applicatin/Request A requirement / cnditin f apprval f any f these requests is that the farm has an implemented cnservatin plan. 2) Observatin f Resurce Cncern 3) Change f Ownership and/r Operatr 4) A Plan that des nt meet required sil lss ( T ), such as an lder Fd Security Act Plan 5) Older Plan 6) Management Changes Examples f Management Changes Transitin t n-till Remval f hay strips Cver Crp Crp rtatin alteratins % f residue crn fr grain v. crn fr silage
The Steps: Preserved Farm identified fr Cnservatin Plan review Infrmatin frwarded t Cnservatin District (existing cntract with District) fr a site visit t review practices Cnservatin District cmmitted t perfrming, at minimum, 5 site visits per mnth = 60/year Site visit with wner/peratr cnducted and fllw up reprt drafted. Reprt sent t APB and landwner Reprt submitted t Stewardship Cmmittee Recmmendatins made by Stewardship Cmmittee and submitted t APB APB takes fficial actin Landwner ntified f actin, assciated deadline and ptential cnsequences f inactin
Typical APB Actin: Require a Cnservatin Plan be created r updated Require a Manure Management Plan be created r updated Require that Plan(s) be supplied t APB One year deadline fr cmpletin and submissin Supply list f Cnservatin Resurces
Discvered: 39% f Farms had an implemented Cnservatin Plan 16% f Farms had NO Cnservatin Plan 61% Needed a Plan r an update t an existing Plan f thse 61% abut ½ had rather serius issues (ersin, barnyard) t be addressed. Results after Actin Required: 26% f Farms are currently wrking t btain a Cnservatin Plan 73% f Farms have btained a Cnservatin Plan 1% f Farms that did nt/will nt btain a Cnservatin Plan
At the end f the day A land trust that accepts and hlds cnservatin easements cmmits itself t their annual stewardship in perpetuity, t enfrcement f their terms, and t building psitive landwner and cmmunity relatinships t supprt the land trust s cnservatin prgrams and enfrcement actins. Frm the Backgrund t the 2004 revisin f Land Trust Standards and Practices ~ ~ Partnerships with landwners are essential in rder t prvide relevant infrmatin and services that advance stewardship f the cnservatin easement prperty. This trust building partnership als aids in the prcessing f a landwner s ability t exercise reserved rights. Frm Stewardship Defined, Tetn Reginal Land Trust