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Farming Properties Summary MEMORANDUM To: Northampton Agricultural Commission From: Sarah I. LaValley, Conservation Planner Northampton Conservation Commission Date: January 11, 2017 Re: Agriculture on Conservation Areas The Northampton Conservation Commission voted unanimously in Fall 2016 to assign licensing responsibility of agricultural areas located on parcels under the care and custody of the Conservation Commission to the Agricultural Commission. The ConsCom’s holdings include several thousand diverse acres, and each area carries a different set of management goals and challenges. Often, agriculture is part of the history of an area, and the Commission has made tried to incorporate farming wherever it is compatible with conservation values. The ConsCom is grateful for the Ag Commission’s willingness to use members’ expertise to match interested farmers with compatible agricultural opportunities, and only asks that a draft of each license is provided before it is finalized. The Brief summaries of each of the five agricultural areas are below, please do not hesitate to be in touch if any additional information is needed, we are happy to provide maps and plans, and current/previous licenses. Name: Bleiman Section, Meadows Conservation Area Parcel ID & Location: Map ID 39-046, Potash and Manhan Roads Acreage: 9 acres total, 5 +/- acres farmable License: Currently not licensed, several previous farmers left before the end of their license period. Details: Farming on this parcel is challenging due to wet conditions and a lack of water. All previous farming has been organic, but the area is not certified. In lieu of a license fee, the Commission had required that the farmer plant at least one acre of crops, and mow the rest of the rest of the parcel up to the forested edge to prevent woody vegetation from developing. Name: Elwell Section, Connecticut River Greenway Parcel ID & Location: Map ID 19-001, off Damon Road Acreage: 20 acres total, 15 +/- acres farmable License: Currently not licensed, previous licensee farmed for 10+ years Details: The area is within the CT River floodplain and is often wet, but often goes several years without complete inundation. Enterprise Farm practiced organic farming only; certified status not known. Access to the area is available solely from a gated roadway to the rear of the former Drozdal funeral home. The roadway is often very muddy. Enterprise cut several acres of trees 0n the eastern portion of the parcel that had been shading crops and limiting turning for farm equipment, the slash piles remain in place and need to be burned or removed, these have been bear habitat in past winters. In lieu of a yearly license fee (valued at $1,600), the Commission has required roadway and gate installation and maintenance. Issues with dumping, partying, and camping have occurred intermittently over the years. A portion of the area at the northwestern corner of the site was cleared of invasives, and may be utilized as a community garden site. Name: Mineral Hills Conservation Area Parcel ID & Location: Portion of Map ID 34-002, Sylvester Road Acreage: 7 acres farmed License: Mayval Farm, through end of 2017 Details: In lieu of a yearly license fee (valued at $250), the Commission has required field edge and drainage improvements as needed to keep the maintained farm area from becoming overgrown, including biannual brushogging of all historically farmed areas up to tree rows and the conservation area parking lot, and dredging the draining ditch in the southern portion of the farmed area. Mayval Farm has grown hay and corn, and does not use organic practices. Some residents expressed a preference for organic farming when the license was last renewed. The area is subject to an APR held by Mass Dept. of Ag Resources. Name: Montview Section, Meadows Conservation Area Parcel ID & Location: Map ID 32C-352, Montview Avenue Acreage: 3.2 acres total, .5 acres farmed License: Madge Evers, through end of 2019 Details: This small conservation area is in the middle of a dense neighborhood, and the parcel also includes a wetland and open field, and compatibility of agricultural uses with the neighborhood is critical. This area is subject to a Conservation Restriction held by the Meadows City Conservation Coalition (MCCC). In cooperation with the neighborhood, MCCC developed a management plan for the area that was approved by the Commission, and included MCCC’s taking responsibility for licensing of new farmers as necessary. The current licensee plans to begin garlic cultivation in 2017. Name: ‘Northern Bookend’ Mineral Hills Conservation Area, Parcel ID & Location: Map ID 20-003, Montague/Chesterfield Roads Acreage: 10 acres +/- License: Currently not licensed or farmed Details: This parcel was acquired in 2012, and the Commission has been planning to restore the former pasture area along the roadway to shrub and grassland habitat before it is completely lost, including a possibility for grazing, fruit trees, or other appropriate agriculture.