Working Lands Workshops

1
Working Lands Workshops

• Prepared by Richard J. Stadelman
• Executive Director
• Wisconsin Towns Association
• December, 2008
• Starting time is 845 A.M.

2
Workshop Agenda

• Importance of Working Lands
• Land Use Study Tour III
• Examples of Preserving Working Lands from other
  states
• Local Examples from Wisconsin
• Working Lands Steering Committee Recommendations
• More local examples and responses

3
What are Working Lands?

• These are the lands that produce the food and
  fiber, timber and pulp across the state
• These are the lands that can be a source of
  biomass for fuels, energy and the products of the
  future
• They are both agricultural lands and forested
  lands

4
Importance of Working Lands

• What are the two top industries in Wisconsin?
• Agriculture is a 51.5 billion dollar industry
• Dairy alone is 21 billion
• Plus value added such as cheese making, etc..
• In addition commodities such as corn, soy beans
  and more
• Forestry is an 18.7 billion dollar industry
• Pulp and paper industry value added

5
Importance of Working Lands

• Ag and Ag Products---51.5 billion means
• 420,000 jobs in Wisconsin
• One in Eight jobs in Wis. are related to farming
• Forest Forest Products---18.7 billion means
• 8 of Wisconsins total industrial output
• 96,000 manufacturing jobs, which is the largest
  component of Wis.s mfg. work force

6
Importance of Working Lands

• 15.6 million acres of farmland
• Slightly less than 46 of all private lands
• 16 million acres of productive forestlands
• Slightly less than 46 of all lands in state,
  including both private and public lands

7
Importance of Working Lands

• Wisconsin needs to sustain these productive
  lands, both ag and forest lands, to continue to
  produce product to sustain these industries as a
  whole
• One example .. proposed largest cheese factory
  in the world was not built because projections
  that milk supply would not be here to support

8
Importance for Future

• T. Boone Pickens plan for oil independence is
  based upon wind, solar, and natural gas
• These are natural resources of Texas
• Wisconsin has great potential for biomass energy
  from ag and forest lands
• Example of methane digesters from manure or wood
  materials

9
What is the threat?

• Conversion of ag land and forest land to other
  uses or non-productive use
• Means less potential production to sustain the ag
  and forestry industry in the future
• Some particular conversions create conflicts of
  land uses for remaining ag and forest lands

10
Ag Land conversions

• See 2007 Agricultural Land Sales and statistics
  from recent years (handout in the folder)
• Statewide Ag acres diverted to other uses
• 2003 28,204 acres
• 2004 30,190 acres
• 2005 21,745 acres
• 2006 14,056 acres
• 2007 9,316 acres

11
Counties with largest net acreage loss of Ag
lands 2000-2005

• County Ag acres loss Loss
• Marathon -31,883 acres -7.6
• Dane -19,782 acres -4.5
• Barron -19,629 acres -6.9
• Wood -18,672 acres -11.0
• Taylor -17,834 acres -9.9
• Source PATS Research Report No. 18, by Jeremy
  Flotz and Alan Tranquist of University of
  Wisconsin Madison

12
Diversions from ag land use from 2000 to 2005

• Residential development
• 246,000 acres of 255,000 acres of non-ag
  development from 2000 to 2005
• Commercial development
• 11,000 acres from 2000 to 2005
• Undeveloped Land (fallow classification)
• 342, 000 acres increased from 2000 to 2005
• Source PATS Research Report No. 18, by Jeremy
  Flotz and Alan Tranquist of University of
  Wisconsin Madison

13
Reasons for Diversions from Ag land

• Note that not all conversions from ag land are
  going into residential or commercial development
• Large acreage being held fallow, but are
  converted from ag production

14
Some targeted areas with larger areas of
productive ag land loss

• Southeast triangle with 112,857 acres
• Dane, Columbia,Dodge, Fond du Lac,
  Winnebago,Washington, Waukesha, Jefferson
  Counties totals 23 of state loss
• North-central area with 114,555 acres
• Marathon, Wood, Taylor, Waupaca, Juneau, and
  Portage totals 23
• Northwest area with 52,866 acres
• Barron, Polk and St. Croix counties 12 of state
  total loss
• Source PATS Research Report No. 18, by Jeremy
  Flotz and Alan Tranquist of University of
  Wisconsin Madison

15
Counties with largest Loss of Forest Land 2000 to
2005

• County Forest acres Lost
• Grant -18,163 acres
• Crawford -15,896 acres
• Price -14,795 acres
• Chippewa -12,459 acres
• Monroe -11,220 acres
• Note 38 counties lost forest acreage and 30
  counties gained forest acreage from 2000 to 2005
• In 2000 to 2005 approx. 100,000 acres lost but
  since 1985 Wis. total forest lands have increased
  640,000 acres
• Source PATS Research Report No. 18, by Jeremy
  Flotz and Alan Tranquist of University of
  Wisconsin Madison

16
Unique Issues with Forest lands

• Parcelization of Large Industrial tracts in
  recent years
• Means more smaller land holdings held by more
  individual land owners
• Individual land owners may manage forest lands
  different than industrial forest owners with
  different goals in mind

17
Conflicts with Changing uses

• With ag land parceled off for other uses, more
  land use conflicts with non-ag uses
• With some ag parcels being divided, the use of
  remaining ag land in crop production becomes more
  difficult on smaller odd shaped parcels

18
Existing Programs in Wisconsin

• Since 1970s Wis. Farmland Preservation Program
• Approx 8.1 million of Wis.s 15.6 million acres
  of farmland are currently under the program
• At one time over 30 million in tax credits
• Currently about 12.5 million in tax credits
• Statewide approx. 35 of potentially eligible
  farmers claim the credit
• Average credit 652 per claimant
• Payments offset about 20 of property taxes for
  the claimants who receive

19
Existing Programs in Wisconsin

• Managed Forest Law since 1985
• Lowers property tax to predictable level, with
  additional payments at time of harvesting
• Subject to management plan
• Participation includes automatic ATFS group
  certification
• Note 10.4 million of 16 million acres of Forest
  land in Wisconsin are in private ownership and
  3.2 million acres are in MFL or Forest Crop Law

20
Working Lands Steering Committee

• In 2005, Sec. of DATCP appointed 26 person
  Steering Committee to discuss recommendations to
  sustain working lands
• Recommendations made in 2006, Secretary took on
  road, but no action in 2007 or 2008
• DATCP has fine tuned some of recommendations and
  will present this afternoon for further discussion

21
Misconceptions as Perceived by Stadelman

• Working Lands Initiative does not
• Promote large farm operations or mega farms over
  family farms and traditional farming
• Stop growth for residential and commercial
  development
• Take away individual property rights
• Impose state planning nor take away local
  community comprehensive planning

22
Thank you to Sponsors

• DATCP
• American Farmland Trust
• Council of Rural Initiatives
• Wis. Counties Assoc.
• Wis. Farmers Union
• West Central WRPC
• East Central WRPC

• Wis. Realtors Assoc.
• Wis. Builders Assoc.
• Gathering Waters Conservancy
• Rock River Coalition
• Driftless Area Land Conservancy
• Glacial Lakes Land Conservancy
• West Wis. Land Trust

23
Working Land Workshops

• Your Questions on background information as to
  importance of Wisconsin Working Lands?.