Agricultural Commission agenda 3 7 11
Northampton Agricultural Commission
Agenda
Date: Monday, March 7, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM PLEASE NOTE TIME: Meeting is earlier than usual to avoid a time conflict
Place: City Hall, 210 Main Street, Room 10, Northampton
For more information:
Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Director of Planning and Development
wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
(413)587‐1265
Agenda
1. Approval of minutes—
a. February 7, 2011 Agriculture Commission meeting
b. January 27, 2011 Agriculture Commission/Keep Farming Farmer Gathering
2. Any necessary follow-up to Farmers Forum and Keep Farming Northampton
3. Discussion of various proposed zoning changes and whether it effects farming
4. Discussion of local Agriculture Preservation Restriction program
5. Other necessary business not envisioned when agenda written
Northampton Agricultural Commission
Agenda (revised) and Minutes
Date: Monday, February 7, 2011
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: City Hall, 210 Main Street, Room 10, Northampton
For more information:
Wayne Feiden, FAICP, Director of Planning and Development
wfeiden@northamptonma.gov
(413)587-1265
Agenda
1. Approval of minutes--January 10, 2011
2. Follow-up to Farmers Forum and Keep Farming Northampton
3. Request from Grow Food Northampton for support for CPA application
4. Further discussion Solar Photo Voltaic zoning
5. Other necessary business not envisioned when agenda written
Minutes
Members Present: Richard Jaeske, Vice Chair, Ben James, Chip Parsons, and John Bobala
Richard Jaeske opened the meeting at 7:05 PM.
Approval of minutes--January 10, 2011
Upon motion by Chip Parsons and second by Ben James, the Commission voted unanimously to
approve the minutes of January 10, 2011 as written.
Follow-up to Farmers Forum and Keep Farming Northampton
Nola Reinhart, from the Keep Farming effort, had a discussion with the Commission on the
January 27, 2011 Farmers Forum and the best way to get farmers to complete and return the
surveys being distributed to them as part of the Keep Farming Program.
Request from Grow Food Northampton for support for CPA application
Adele Franks from Grow Food Northampton presented GFN’s plans for a community gardens
and requested a support letter from the Commission. The Commission expressed some concern
about limiting the use of farmland to organic uses and the impacts on farmers. They declined to
issue a support letter at the time, although they left open the possibility of future support.
Northampton Agriculture Commission/Keep Farming Northampton
Gathering of Farmers
Smith Vocational Agricultural School, Locust Street, Northampton
J ANUARY 27, 2010
Minutes
In attendance
Agriculture Commission: John Omasta, John Bobala, Ben James, Richard Jaescke, John Kelly, Chip
Parsons
KFN Committee: Nola Reinhardt, Adele Franks, Deb Jacobs, Betsey Wolfson, Carmel Kelley.
Glynwood representatives and guests: Virginia Kasinki, Andrea Burns, Nick Stanton
Northampton farmers.
The meeting began at 7:00 pm.
1. Intro: John Omasta
The Agriculture Commission advises the City about agriculture; wants to craft a vision of what
Northampton farmers consider important
During the purchase of the Bean-Allard property, the commission became aware of the work of Glynwood
and decided the Keep Farming program would benefit Northampton
Rich Jaescke has been the Commission’s main liaison with the Keep Farming committee
2. Intro to Keep Farming: Adele Franks
Glynwood’s Keep Farming program helps a community and citizen volunteers help their local farmers.
— Get the right people together to share information – farmers, farming groups, environmental groups,
citizens
— What might work to keep farming viable and to help it thrive and grow?
— How do you gather information in your particular community? This is information that the Agriculture
Commission wanted anyway, and Keep Farming provides a framework for volunteers to gather that
information.
This meeting is sponsored by the Agriculture Economics committee of Keep Farming Northampton; other
committees will gather more information later in this process.
3. Snapshot of farming in Northampton (what we know so far) – Nola Reinhardt
The committee has used city property records to put together a map that shows agricultural properties in
Northampton (LUC 61, 61A, 393; and SVAHS and city leased land). Farmers were asked to help fill in the
blanks on the map with any additional land being used for agriculture. Based on these city records, the
following is a first pass at documenting the current status of Northampton agriculture:
SNAPSHOT OF NORTHAMPTON AGRICULTURE
SUMMARY STATISTICS, NORTHAMPTON AGRICULTURE in LAND-USE CODES 61A & 393
NUMBER OF FARMS: 25
NUMBER OF PLOTS: 258
ACREAGE FARMED: 2,417
NUMBER OF LANDOWNERS: 84
(Northampton residents: 46; Non-residents: 38)
Keep Farming Northampton
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NUMBER OF FARMED LOTS AND AREA
TYPE OF LOT NUMBER ACREAGE
Privately owned:
LUC 61A 154 2,056
LUC 393 104 361
LUC 61 36 1,502
Subtotal 294 3,919
Leased from city 5 42
SVAHS 3 538
TOTAL 302 4,499*
*Approximately 18% of Northampton land (1/6th)
LAND USE: 61, 61A, SVAHS
AGRICULTURAL USE NUMBER OF LOTS TOTAL ACREAGE
Tobacco (711) 8 75
Truck crops (712) 35 367
Field crops (713) 113 1,649
Orchards (714) 1 1
Pasture (718) 5 64
Forestry (Ch 61) &
Woodland (717)
41 1,965
Nursery (719) 1 1
These data show that farming is a significant part of Northampton land use. They suggest that farmland is
quite fragmented, although this can vary considerably by farm.
We have only a rough idea of what crops are being grown. The city assessor can record only one use of a
farm; even if a farmer has several crops, only the main one is listed. We have no records of land use for
LUC393 properties. This is why the committee needs more precise information from the farmers.
4. Next step: The committee has put together a farmer survey which was distributed to those present. The
surveys will not identify individual farms and the information collected will be used to put together more
accurate aggregate data. The farmers were asked to return the completed surveys to the Agriculture
Commission at City Hall, or to any of the Agriculture Commissioners. Their assistance was also requested
in informing other Northampton farmers of the purpose and importance of this survey process.
5. About Glynwood and Keep Farming; Virginia Kasinki presented a brief review of the history and
purpose of Glynwood’s Keep Farming program. She introduced Nick Stanton from Great Barrington;
where they are beginning a Keep Farming program. She also introduced Andrea Burns, who will be
Glynwood’s new rep in Western Mass. Burns is an Easthampton City Counselor, and recently helped form
an Agriculture Commission in Easthampton. About 150 towns in MA now have Ag Commissions.
Keep Farming Northampton
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6. Discussion
Farmers raised concerns about the difficulties of farming in Northampton. One problem is the loss of
farmland to development. Szawlowski pointed out that the industrial park used to be farmland, but the city
took the land by eminent domain in 1970s.Jaescke pointed out that the result might have been different if
there had been an Agriculture Commission to represent farmer interests at that time.
Many of the farmers pointed to problems with vandalism, theft, and destruction of crops by the public,
especially in the Meadows. It’s harder to work farms when people want to come in to hike or ride ATVs –or
City wants to put in a bike path or expand hiking trails or expand county fair property. People come to river
to fish and drive across fields. Dogs run around and rip up fields. Trash is being dumped; roofers dump
trash. People have been shot in the Meadows. Farmers feel that the city hasn’t responded adequately to
their concerns about these problems.
On the other hand, Franks pointed out, and others agreed, that when the Bean/Allard farm was up for sale
it brought out a lot of support for small farms in Northampton; there is interest in and concern for farms.
The Commission and the Committee hope that the Keep Farming process will generate more
understanding of the farmers’ problems and their needs, as well as their importance to the city.
Some farmers expressed interest in attending the Agriculture Commission meetings, and the
Commissioners explained that they meet the first Monday of each month during the winter or if there’s a
pressing issue. There is a vacancy on the Commission and farmers were encouraged to consider joining.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm.
Minutes: Betsey Wolfson