News

Wisconsin increases Ag Enterprise Areas

Wisconsin will hit the 1 million-acre mark with the designation of new and expanded Agricultural Enterprise Areas (AEAs) for 2015. Ag Secretary Ben Brancel told the State Ag Board on Wednesday the new acreage will become official on January 1st when two new AEAs will be created and a third will be expanded. The three areas total about 90,000 acres in Eau Claire, Outagamie and Monroe counties.  Wisconsin will then have 31 AEAs totaling just over 1 million acres in 23 counties, 92 towns and the Bad River Reservation.

AEAs are part of the state’s farmland preservation program and may be created or expanded when at least five landowners, in partnership with local governments, petition the Department of Agriculture for the designation. They are intended to encourage preservation of agricultural land use and to promote agricultural economic development appropriate to each area.

Farmers owning land within an AEA can receive tax credits in exchange for signing an agreement to keep their land in agricultural use for at least 15 years. There are no additional land-use regulations.

The designation provides some certainty for farmers and agribusinesses that the agricultural infrastructure will remain into the future so they can invest with confidence.

A description of the three AEAs from DATCP follows:

Golden Triangle AEA, Eau Claire County:

This new AEA covers nearly 21,400 acres in the towns of Washington, Lincoln, Otter Creek, and Bridge Creek, and was sought by 26 petitioners. It is largely a grain and dairy region, but with a diverse array of agricultural producers and related businesses, and with highly productive farmland that petitioners want to maintain in agriculture. Petitioners want to encourage further agricultural development that will support local ag-related business, promote small-scale agribusiness, leverage proximity to local markets, and support the local food movement.

 

Greenville Greenbelt AEA, Outagamie County:

This AEA was originally designated in 2015, but will now be expanded by more than 4,700 acres to total 6,178 acres, all in the Town of Greenville. It is a cash cropping area on the edge of an urban area. The expanded designation was sought by 8 petitioners. Through the expanded designation, the petitioners hope to promote and support good agricultural land management and ensure successful transition of existing agribusinesses to the next generation. Recent investments in agribusinesses and the local technical college support the town’s ag economy.

 

Scenic Ridge and Valley AEA, Monroe County:

This new AEA was supported by 91 petitioners in the towns of Jefferson, Portland and Wells. It covers nearly 62,500 acres dominated by dairy, cash grains and forestry. Petitioners seek to promote agricultural education, business and jobs while continuing the area’s historically strong conservation ethic. The headwaters of five significant watersheds lie within the AEA: Middle Kickapoo River, West Fork of the Kickapoo, Coon Creek, Upper La Crosse River and Little La Crosse River. It encompasses Wisconsin’s largest organic production area which totals about 5,000 acres.