Agricultural Districts play a vital role in protecting agricultural land in Madison County. Farmland
accounts for close to 45 percent of Madison County’s entire area.
As described by the Agricultural Protection Unit at New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, “The purpose of agricultural districting is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production. The Program is based on a combination of landowner incentives and protections, all of which are designed to forestall the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses. Included in these benefits are preferential real property tax treatments e.g., agricultural assessment and special benefit assessment and protections against overly restrictive local laws, government-funded acquisition or construction projects, and private nuisance suits involving agricultural practices.”
October has been designated as Madison County’s open enrollment period during, during which properties can be added to an existing agricultural district.
Contact Madison County Planning Department by calling 315-366-2376 and ask for a survey form. You can also stop in at the Planning Department in Wampsville Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to pick up the survey form or print a form from the County website.
Each Survey Form asks for the Tax Parcel ID number and acreage of the property. A description of the land must be included with the request. All requests for inclusion into an Agricultural District must be postmarked by Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017.