Starting January 1, 2020, about 74,148 acres in Clark, Grant, and Sauk counties will be eligible to enter into farmland preservation agreements with the designation of three new agricultural enterprise areas (AEAs). This will bring Wisconsin’s farmland preservation totals to 40 AEAs in portions of 27 counties, 112 towns, and the Bad River Reservation.
The new AEAs are:
- South Fork, Clark County: Includes about 20,417 acres in the towns of Mead and Reseburg. This
will be Clark County’s third AEA following the Heart of America’s
Dairyland AEA and Friends in Agriculture AEA. Petitioner goals include
preserving large contiguous blocks of agricultural lands, encouraging
investment in the agricultural economy, and providing technical
assistance to farmers to meet soil and water conservation standards.
- Local contact: Amanda Kasparek, conservation agronomist, (715) 743-5104, [email protected]
- Castle Rock, Grant County: Includes about 23,040 acres in the town of Castle Rock. Petitioners
want to promote upland best management practices, protect the Snow
Bottom State Natural Area, and preserve the six Class I and Class II
trout streams in the Blue River Watershed.
- Local contact: Lynda Schweikert, Conservation Sanitation and Zoning Department administrator, (608) 723-6377, [email protected]
- Bear Creek, Sauk County: Includes about 30,691 acres in the town of Bear Creek. Petitioners aim
to preserve existing agricultural and forestry land uses, encourage
future land uses that will promote balance among property values,
environmental protection and economic opportunity, and to grow a mindset
of regenerative farming practices.
- Local contact: Brian Sadler, conservation technician, (608) 355-4841, [email protected]
AEAs are a part of the Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). DATCP has authority to designate up to two million acres for AEAs. This is the 10-year anniversary of AEA designations. For more information, visit https://farmlandpreservation.wi.gov.
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