ElS— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 23,1980
Delaware farmers
(Continued from Page El 7)
area”, and the land which
could accommodate growth,
the “transfer zone.”
Fanners whose land lies
within the designated
agricultural area are given a
number of certificates .ac
cording to the development
potential of their land.
If they choose not to
develop their land them
selves, they can sell then
certificates on the open
market to anyone who
wishes to build at a higher
than five-acre density in the
transfer zone.
Since smaller building lots
are more profitable to
developers, many
developers would be very
willing to seek out a fanner
with development rights
N, Y. potato grower convicted
BRIDGEHAMPTON, N.Y.
Potato grower Thomas 0.
Conklin of Bndgehampton,
N.Y., has been convicted in
U.S. District Court of
shipping potatoes from fields
infested with the golden
nematode, in violation of a
federal statute and U.S.
Department of Agriculture
quarantine regulations.
Conklin pled guilty and
was convicted for three
illegal shipments. He moved
N.J. livestock dealer’s
suspension terminated
LAFAYETTE, N.J. -
Harry Vealey, Jr., of
Lafayette, N.J., has been
reinstated by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture ’
as a livestock dealer and
market agency under the
Packers and Stockyards Act.
Vealey does business in
New Jersey, eastern Penn
sylvania and Connecticut.
He had been suspended for
deceptive livestock buying
practices and for operating
without a bond.
The suspension was for 20
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certificates for sale. The
certificates entitle the
purchaser to put in extra
houses on a building lot m
the transfer zone.
The certificate price may
be anything the farmer and
developer agree upon.
Thus the farmer is com
pensated for unused
development nghts; growth
takes place in an orderly
fashion; and a viable farm
economy is preserved for the
public good.
In this approach the
developer, rather than the
taxpayer, pays for the
unused development rights
on farmland.
Both “purchase of
development rights” and
“transfer of development
rights” are suitable
measures for farm ar r, '>^
of illegal shipments
nearly 100,000 pounds of
potatoes to three different
states—Maryland, North
Carolina and the District of
Columbia.
He was fined the
maximum for each violation
totaling $l5OO.
The golden nematode is a
tiny, destructive eelworm
that can reduce potato yields
if not controlled. It spreads
easily in soil that may cling
to potatoes, machinery,
days beginning January 8,
and thereafter until he ob
tained a proper bond. He has
now obtained a proper bond
and the suspension has been
terminated.
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that are under intense
pressure to develop.
In areas that are further
from cities, more solidly
agricultural, and less im
mediately attractive to
developers, forming
“agricultural districts” may
be the most appropriate step
to preserve farmland for the
generations to come.
Such districts exist in
Michigan, Wisconsin,
Virginia, and New York, for
example.
Landowners within an
agricultural district have the
option of signing an
agreement with their county
to keep their land in farming
for a certain number of
years. The contract is
renewable.
Landowners who sign mto
nursery stock and other
items.
Regulations of the USDA’s
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service require
that potatoes grown on in
fested fields be moved only
under conditions that
minimize the chance of
spread.
In the Umted States, the
nematode is found only on
Long Island and in a small
area of upstate New York.
The P&S Act is a fair trade
practices law. It promotes
and maintains fair and open
competition in the buying
and selling of livestock,
meat and poultry.
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the distru; ! ect ive certain
compensations. Their land is
taxed according to its
agricultural value rather
than its development value.
The farmer is protected
against nusiance complaints
from neighbors about noises
and smells associated with
normal agricultural ac
tivities. The farmer is
protected against the right of
eminent domain, except in
those rare instances where
no alternatives exist. The
farmer is assured that no
water or sewers will be put
in within the district, utilities
that would encourage
development.
On the largest areas of
farmland, agricultural
districts ease the burdens of
farming and reduce the
uncertainties of government
land use policy.
A land use policy takes
many years to formulate and
put into practice.
With Delaware facing a
critical loss of farmland
within 20 years-and New
Castle and Kent counties
within 10 years-it’s tune to
consider a farmland
preservation plan, says
Vaughn.
We must decide which
land, if any, we wish to
preserve, and what steps
we’re willing to take to in
sure its preservation.
Vaughn discusses
Delaware’s farmland
situation in a new report
entitled “Land Use for the
Public Good: Should
Delaware Farmland Be
Preserved?”, published by
the Delaware Cooperative
Extension Service.
The report addresses such
issues as: the state, national
and international per
spective on the need to
preserve farmland; the
extent of farmland loss in
Delaware; the role
agriculture plays in the
state’s economy; land prices
and real estate taxes m
Delaware; and who will
provide leadership in
preserving agricultural
land?
Free copies of the 21-page
report are available from
county extension offices. In
New Castle County call
302/738-2506; in Kent County
call 302/678-4675; in Sussex
County call 302/856-5258.