Eau Claire County Farmland Preservation Plan
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APPENDIX G: EAU CLAIRE COUNTY FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN EAU CLAIRE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN G-1 Eau Claire County Farmland Preservation Plan AIR E C L O C U N U T A ` Y E Eau Claire County Planning & May 19, 2015 18 56 Development Eau Claire County Eau Claire Board of Supervisors Ordinance No. 15-16/005 Prepared by: Eau Claire County Department of Planning and Development West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission Financial Assistance Provided by: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Planning & Development Committee Gary Gibson, Chair Steve Chilson, Vice Chair James Dunning Gordon Steinhauer Stella Pagonis Farmland Preservation Steering Committee Barry Kostka Bob Paddock Watford Seguin, Jr. Noel Kroeplin Kristina Beuning Dan Lindeman Mike Weiss Jane Mueller Phillip Chute Dudley (Joe) Smith Pat Shaffer Dean Zimmerman Mary Price Duane Merritt Larry Zimmerman EAU CLAIRE COUNTY 18 56 Eau Claire County FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1 WHAT IS FARMLAND PRESERVATION?.................................................................2 WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM? ........................................................2 WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? ......................................................................................3 HISTORY OF THE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PROGRAM .............................................3 WISCONSIN WORKING LANDS INITIATIVE (WLI) ..........................................................5 PLANNING PROCESS ................................................................................................6 NATURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................................8 NATURAL RESOURCE KEY ISSUES .......................................................................8 NATURAL RESOURCE GOAL ................................................................................8 NATURAL RESOURCE OBJECTIVES ......................................................................8 NATURAL RESOURCE BACKGROUND ...................................................................8 FORESTS & WOODLANDS ....................................................................................9 SOIL RESOURCES ..............................................................................................9 SLOPE RESTRICTIONS ........................................................................................10 WATER RESOURCES AND WATERSHEDS...............................................................11 NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION .....................................................................11 ECONOMIC VITALITY & INFRASTRUCTURE ..................................................................12 ECONOMIC VITALITY & INFRASTRUCTURE KEY ISSUES...........................................12 ECONOMIC VITALITY & INFRASTRUCTURE GOAL ...................................................12 ECONOMIC VITALITY & INFRASTRUCTURE OBJECTIVES .........................................12 ECONOMIC VITALITY & INFRASTRUCTURE BACKGROUND .......................................13 AGRICULTURAL BUSINESSES & INFRASTRUCTURE ...............................................13 AGRICULTURAL SALES ........................................................................................16 DIRECT MARKET FARMS ......................................................................................17 ORGANIC FARMS ...............................................................................................18 ECONOMIC GROWTH & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ...............................................18 EFFORTS TO GROW THE AG ECONOMY ...............................................................19 FARMERS MARKETS ...........................................................................................21 COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE (CSA) OPERATIONS ................................21 DIRECT FARM SALES ..........................................................................................22 COMMUNITY GARDENS .......................................................................................22 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ..................................................................................22 LAND USE ................................................................................................................23 LAND USE KEY ISSUES .......................................................................................23 LAND USE GOAL ................................................................................................23 LAND USE KEY OBJECTIVES ...............................................................................23 LAND USE BACKGROUND ....................................................................................24 URBAN GROWTH IMPACTS .................................................................................24 RURAL LAND COMPOSITION ................................................................................25 DEVELOPED LANDS ............................................................................................25 FORESTED LANDS ..............................................................................................27 RURAL LANDSCAPE ............................................................................................28 LAND PRICES ....................................................................................................28 INDUSTRIAL SAND MINING ..................................................................................29 EAU CLAIRE COUNTY 18 56 Eau Claire County FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN CHAPTER THREE: Farmland Preservation Areas – Mapping ....................................................................... 31 FARMLAND PRESERVATION CERTIFIED AREA RATIONAL AND MAPS .............................31 ZONING ............................................................................................................31 CURRENT FARMLAND PRESERVATION PARTICIPATION .........................................32 AERIAL PHOTOS ................................................................................................32 CONSISTENCY ...................................................................................................33 SOILS ...............................................................................................................33 FORESTRY ........................................................................................................33 CAPITAL INVESTMENT ........................................................................................34 CONNECTIVITY ..................................................................................................34 FINAL PRODUCT ................................................................................................34 PRESERVATION AREAS DEFINED ..............................................................................35 GENERAL STRATEGIES FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION .............................................37 REGULATORY APPROACHES .....................................................................................37 INCENTIVE APPROACHES ..........................................................................................38 OTHER APPROACHES ...............................................................................................40 CONSISTENCY WITH OTHER APPLICABLE PLANS.........................................................42 EAU CLAIRE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ............................................................42 COUNTY LAND & WATER RESOURCE PLANS ..............................................................42 WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN RPC- COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ........................................43 PLAN ADOPTION, MONITORING, AND UPDATES ..........................................................43 AGRICULTURE STATISTICS AND TRENDS ...................................................................45 DAIRY FARMS ...................................................................................................46 COWS & MILK PRODUCTION ...............................................................................46 CROPS .............................................................................................................47 FORESTRY INDUSTRY AND STATISTICS ......................................................................48 FORESTRY ECONOMICS ...........................................................................................49 FORESTRY PRODUCTS .............................................................................................49 SPECIALTY PRODUCTS .............................................................................................50 POPULATION AND HOUSING STATISTICS ....................................................................51 DEMOGRAPHIC/POPULATION TRENDS .................................................................51 HOUSING ..........................................................................................................55 INFRASTRUCTURE & COMMUNITY FACILITIES TRENDS ................................................55 HIGHWAYS ........................................................................................................56 TRUCK ROUTES, AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT, RAILROADS ....................................56 UTILITIES, SANITARY SEWER & WASTEWATER TREATMENT ...................................57