Farmers are the stewards of our land. They understand the importance of maintaining the balance of nature. They are protecting our water resources, establishing vegetative buffer zones, storing animal manure until conditions are right for field application and reducing soil erosion and sediment runoff while adding organic matter to improve soil structure. Soil conservation, wildlife habitat, water quality and energy conservation contributes to the environment as well as the economic well being of the farm.

With the help of the local Soil and Water Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Cooperative Extension, farmers are employing a variety of conservation practices on their farms. The purpose of these practices is to slow or control water runoff, and to trap sediment and nutrients. Here are some conservation practices.

Buffers—
There are many different types of buffers depending on the site. They usually involve incorporating vegetative plantings, which act as a filtration strip to slow water movement, and to trap nutrients and sediment.
Conservation tillage—
A combination of soil and crop management techniques including managing crop residue and tillage practices in order to aid in soil and organic matter conservation in the field.
Crop rotation—
A common practice of rotating certain crops planted in a particular field from one season to the next in order to break the cycle of weeds, insects, and diseases.
Filter strips—
A type of buffer, grass is planted in strips between crops.
Grassed waterways—
Strips of grass planted where water tends to move across a field, planted to prevent gully erosion.
Nutrient management—
Managing nutrients entering (feed, fertilizer, legume nitrogen) and leaving (crops, milk, meat) the farm system so that crops needs are closely matched with proper inputs of manure and other nutrients as needed.
Riparian buffers—
Planted along a stream bank, usually consisting of trees, shrubs, and grasses.

Agricultural Districts

In 1971 the New York State Legislature passed the Agricultural Districts Law to protect agricultural lands that were being jeopardized by non-agricultural pursuits. The law was designed to encourage and strengthen the agricultural industry by offering farmers an opportunity to protect themselves from the rising costs and problems associated with encroaching urbanization. Ag Districts create an identity and solidarity for the farm community, provide protection from conflicting land use and demonstrate a commitment to the continuation and future of the farming industry. In Saratoga County a total of six districts were formed between 1973 and 1994, covering a total of over 110,000 acres and encompassing most of the important [commercial] farmland in the county.

In 1973, the first Ag District protected 14,000 acres in the Bacon Hill, Northumberland and Saratoga area in Saratoga County. The area officially became labeled as Agricultural District #1. In 1997 this district expanded from 14,000 acres to 59,000 acres, and now includes land in the towns of Moreau, Wilton, Saratoga and Stillwater, along with the original land in the town of Northumberland.

• Providing protection of its commercial farm operations.
• Encouraging investment in agriculture and agricultural productivity.
• Enhancing the economic impact of the agricultural sector.

• Providing many positive influences on the lifestyle of the county – most people in the county live within a short distance of any agricultural district.

Agricultural districts are formed by landowners who voluntarily agree to keep their land in a district for eight year, renewable time periods. In exchange, agriculture is designated as the primary activity in the district and landowners receive incentives to encourage them to continue farming. These incentives include use-value assessment, exemptions from special district levies, right to farm provisions and protection from eminent domain, adjacent non-agricultural development and state agency regulations that interfere with farming. Participants must pay roll-back taxes to remove themselves from a district prior to the end of the eight-year period.

The county’s agricultural districts include the majority of the county’s farms and viable agricultural land. Districted land area in Saratoga County now totals 110,800 acres. About 58 percent (roughly 61,800 acres) of districted land area is owned or leased by farmers. Slightly more than half of this (32,750 acres) is productive cropland. Interspersed throughout the districts is land used for nonfarm purposes such as residential and commercial land.

For the most part, agricultural districts have been popular with farmers in areas of the county with a higher concentration of farms, better quality farmland and less development pressure. In areas undergoing intense urban pressure, such as Clifton Park and Halfmoon, where farmland has been sold at high prices for nonfarm development and farmers have felt less secure about their future in farming, landowners have participated in agricultural districts in fewer numbers.

Right to Farm Laws

The continued development of agricultural areas has increased the potential for conflicts between farmers and their neighbors. In 1992, the NYS Agricultural District Law was amended to add a limited defense for farmers against private nuisance lawsuits. Commonly referred to as the right-to-farm law, all 50 states have enacted some kind of nuisance protection law. Generally, these provisions aim to strengthen the ability of farmers to defend themselves in a nuisance suit brought by a neighbor or local government.

Right-to-farm laws also may be used to shield farmers from excessively restrictive local laws or to ward off intrusive and unwanted public infrastructure. Right-to-farm laws can improve the viability of farm businesses since a "farm friendly" local business climate can allow farmers to invest more in the future of their operations. The law also informs property buyers about farming practices before they purchase property in an agricultural district.

In 1991, Northumberland became the first town in the county to enact a right-to-farm law. The law reflects a show of support for the agricultural heritage as a viable and essential aspect of the town’s past, present and future.

Conservation Easement

Legally recorded voluntary agreements that limit land to specific uses. Easements may apply to entire parcels of land or to specific parts of the property. Most are permanent; term easements impose restrictions for a limited number of years. Land protected by conservation easement remains on the tax rolls and is privately owned and managed. Landowners who donate permanent conservation easements may be entitled to tax benefits.

Agricultural Conservation Easements are legally recorded voluntary agreements restricting development on farmland. They generally prohibit uses that damage agricultural value or productivity. An agricultural conservation easement usually will permit the construction of new farm buildings or a few carefully located houses for family members. Landowners can donate conservation easements or sell them.

Cluster Zoning/Conservation Subdivision

A form of zoning that allows houses to be built close together in areas where large minimum lot sizes are generally required. By grouping houses on small sections of a large parcel of land, cluster zoning can be used to protect open space. Also known as conservation subdivision, cluster development, open land subdivision and open space subdivision.

Purchasing Development Rights (PDR) -- or Conservation Easements

This technique helps communities protect important farmland from conversion to non-agricultural use. PDR allows a farmer to voluntarily sell the right to develop farmland in return for accepting a conservation easement on the affected land. Participants retain full ownership and control of their land and can sell or transfer their property whenever and to whomever they please. But because of the conservation easement, the land is permanently protected from non-farm development and remains available for agricultural use. The value of the development right is generally based on the difference between the land’s value for nonfarm development and its agricultural value. Professional appraisers determine these values.