Ag District No. 6
Article 25-AA of the Agriculture and Markets Law authorizes the creation of local agricultural districts pursuant to landowner initiative, preliminary county review, state certification, and county adoption. As of 2022, there are 152 agricultural districts is existence statewide, which contain approximately 26,182 farms and 6.5 million farmed acres. The purpose of agricultural districting is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production.
Agricultural District #1 was created in Lewis County in 1975; it encompassed 20,304 acres of land and was located within the towns of Lewis, West Turin, Leyden, and Lyonsdale. Agricultural District’s #2, 3, 4 and 5 were designated over the next three years and encompassed almost, if not all of the active agricultural land within the county. By law, each of the five districts in Lewis County must undergo a recertification process every eight years. This recertification process verifies that the majority of the land within the district is active agricultural land. In 2008, a county request was approved by NYS Ag and Markets to complete a review of all five Agricultural Districts and consolidation into one new district.
Currently, there is one active agricultural district in Lewis County, Agricultural District #6. Agricultural District #6 contains 246,601.693 acres, and the anniversary date for recertification of this district is February 15, 2024.
For more information about Agricultural Districts in New York State, go to https://agriculture.ny.gov/land-and-water/agricultural-districts
Ag District No. 6 | 8-Year Review
Municipalities and landowners within the Ag District No. 6 have the ability to comment on the 8-year review process during the 30-day comment period commencing September 1, 2023 through September 30, 2023. All comments should be submitted to the Director of Planning & Community Development, at 7660 North State Street, Suite 324, Lowville, NY 13367.
Lewis County will also be accepting landowner applications for including new parcels of viable agricultural land into its existing Agricultural District 6. The Lewis County Board of Legislators has established an annual 30-day inclusion process for the District from November 15th to December 15th of each year. However, during the 2023 eight-year review, the annual thirty day inclusion period will be incorporated simultaneously with the eight-year survey review period. Thus, the County will accept inclusion applications from October 1, 2023 through October 31, 2023, the same as the eight year review survey process.
Municipalities and landowners within the district may propose a modification of the District by filing such proposal with the Lewis County Planning & Community Development Department at 7660 North State Street, Lowville, NY 13367 from October 1, 2023 through October 31, 2023. Please have your tax parcel identification number(s) available for reference should you request a district modification.
On October 3, 2023 the Lewis County Board of Legislators will set a public hearing for this Agricultural District No. 6 review. This Public Hearing will be scheduled for 5:00 PM Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at the Lewis County Court House 2nd floor Legislative Board Room, 7660 North State Street, Lowville, NY. The next eight-year review of Agricultural District 6 will occur in 2032.
Lewis County Agricultural Enhancement Plan
This Agricultural Enhancement Plan was developed to ensure that agriculture remains one of Lewis
County’s most important industries. Ultimately, the mission of this Plan is to help promote the sustainability and resiliency of farming in Lewis County. Agriculture is critical not just to the County’s economy, but to Lewis’s rural landscape, community character, environment, and public health. Agriculture is the dominant land use in Lewis County (182,000 acres), a major economic driver ($153 million in sales enters the local economy), and a major employer (787 workers with an annual payroll of $13.2 million).
However, there are still many challenges to overcome. Low milk prices, small profits with high costs, difficulty finding and affording labor, taxes and regulations, lack of a next generation of farmers, limited farm processing infrastructure, and limited marketing of the County and of local farm products are weaknesses that must be overcome. This enhancement plan is designed as an action-oriented plan to help continue to move agriculture forward. The goal of the Lewis County Agricultural Enhancement Plan is to outline the positive steps the County and its partners can take to ensure the long-term health of our farms and farming community.
The foundation of this Plan is input received from farmers and farmland owners, agri-businesses, farm support agencies, and organizations, and from young people who hope to be the next generation of farmers. This input was critical to ensure that this Plan addresses needs specific to Lewis County.
This Plan provides information about current agricultural conditions, a vision for the future, and a detailed set of strategies to be implemented over the next decade. In support of that, it also includes 17 maps, information about agriculture (including economic characteristics, and farm and farmland activities and resources), analysis of farmland conversion pressure, and projections of weather changes that may impact farming.