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

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Introduction The Town of Seward lies in northwestern Schoharie County. The western town line borders Otsego County. The Town of Sharon Springs lies to the north, the Towns of Carlisle and Cobleskill to the east and the Town of Richmondville to the south. The Town includes the small hamlets of Dorloo, Gardnersville, Hyndsville, Janesville and Seward. The Town of Seward is an approximately one-hour drive from the City of Albany, the state’s capital, and two-and-a-half hours from the New York Metropolitan Area, the largest city in the United States. The Town is in close proximity to the Village of Cobleskill, which is home to over 4,500 people, as well as the State University of New York at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill) and its School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Portions of three state highways, NYS Routes 10, 145 and 165, cross through the Town of Seward. Route 10 is the busiest of the three. According to the NYS Department of Transportation statistics approximately 2,700 vehicles a day travel Route 10, less than 1,360 on Route 145 and less than 1,000 on Route 165 Agriculture has historically been and remains the foundation of the Town of Seward’s economy, producing food, employing people and paying taxes. Seward’s farms provide open space, buffer natural resources and protect water quality. Schoharie County’s Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan names the Seward/Sharon Dairy Area as one of the County’s four significant agricultural areas. The Town of Seward is comprised primarily of agricultural lands, forest, scattered residential development and very limited commercial development. The town is 36.5 square miles or 23,360 acres in size. The entire town is included within agricultural district number three with the exception of some of its hamlets. At the time of the 2000 U.S. Census of Population Seward had a population of 1,646 and 685 households. This is a slight decrease from the 1990 population of 1,651. The Census estimated the town’s population in 2008 to be 1,729. 1,763 people lived in the Town of Seward at the time of the 2010 census. Vision Statement The Seward community is extremely supportive of farming and will remain so in the future, believing that the best way to protect farmland is to keep farms profitable. The town will continue to sustain its established farms by maintaining the existing contiguous tracts of agricultural land which enable commodity farmers to produce their crops without significantly impacting residential areas. The town will simultaneously support local agriculture by promoting alternative and value-added agricultural enterprises. Town of Seward Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan 3
Definition of Agriculture The Town of Seward employs the same definitions of agricultural activities as appears in New York State Agriculture and Markets law without the requirements of gross revenue or acreage required in order to receive agricultural assessment when identifying agriculture within the town. According to the state definition, which can be found in its complete form in the appendix (Appendix A) of this plan, agriculture includes the production of crops, livestock and livestock products and shall include but not be limited to the following: field crops; fruits; vegetables; horticultural specialties; livestock and livestock products; maple sap; Christmas trees; aquaculture products; woody biomass; and apiary products. Town of Seward Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan 4
Page 1 and 2: Seward, New York AGRICULTURAL AND F
Page 3 and 4: Acknowledgements Town of Seward Agr
Page 5 and 6: Appendix A. NYSDAM Agriculture Defi
Page 7: F. Farmland Protection 1. Educate L
Page 12 and 13: committees a joint executive agricu
Page 14 and 15: Farming in Seward Palatine Germans
Page 16 and 17: Soils The entire Town of Seward, 23
Page 18 and 19: Environmental and Recreational Bene
Page 20 and 21: In 2002 American Farmland Trust con
Page 22 and 23: JERSEY LN EMPIE LN GORDON RD STATE
Page 24 and 25: of dairy products sold in the Town
Page 26 and 27: Conversion Pressure Housing develop
Page 28 and 29: Land Use Regulation & Land Use Plan
Page 30 and 31: Clearview Dr Winegard Rd Winkler Rd
Page 32 and 33: Goals & Recommendations Goal I Supp
Page 34 and 35: Recommendation 8 Consider Housing P
Page 36 and 37: parcels of agricultural land are co
Page 38 and 39: land’s value for development and
Page 40 and 41: Action ii Take Advantage of Ethnic
Page 42 and 43: markets and wholesale to urban-base
Page 44 and 45: Recommendation 4 Produce Biofuel Co
Page 46 and 47: Goal II: Foster Economic Opportunit
Page 48 and 49: Implementation Responsibility Parti

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

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