Town of Seward Draft Agriculture and Farmland ... - Schoharie County

Community Outreach
In addition the town, in cooperation with the
Schoharie County Planning and Development Agency
(SCPDA), conducted a survey of town residents on the
topic of land use (Appendix F). Although the primary
purpose of the survey was to provide the town with
information that could be used in the drafting of a
comprehensive land use plan, the survey included
many questions about agriculture and was an excellent
resource during the development of the town’s
agricultural and farmland protection plan.
The Town of Seward sought and received
much helpful input from the community
during the development of the plan’s goals
and recommendations. American Farmland
Trust conducted interviews with ten
farmers and owners of agricultural lands in
the Town. Seward held a public meeting
during which the members of the
community shared their thoughts and
concerns about the business of agriculture
and the use of farmland in the town through
a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
and Threats (SWOT) exercise led by
American Farmland Trust (Appendix B).
The farmer interviews included conversations with non-farming owners of agricultural land who
leased the land to farmers; active and retired dairy farmers; crop farmers; horse-owners; and
farmers raising grass-fed livestock. Topics discussed included:
Economic Impact of Agriculture
Loss of Farmland to Residential Development
Taxes
Retirement and the Next Generation of Farmers
Local Foods & Tourism
Farmland Protection
A summary of the farmer interviews can be found in the appendix (Appendix C) of this plan.
Town of Seward Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan 8