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Tuesday, August 19, 2014

4 Ways to Manage Farm Nuisance


Tracey D. Shiflett, AICP
 
I noted in my earlier blog post that residents moving into agricultural areas are often unpleasantly surprised by the smell, noise and dust produced by farms.  This has given rise to conflict between new residents who want to curtail existing farm operations.  In this post I will discuss four ways to manage this conflict through land use planning.


AVOIDANCE

 One of the best ways to manage residential/farm conflict is to avoid it altogether.  This means that there must be more housing choices in existing communities.  Lower housing costs removes one of the reasons that  suburban sprawl is moving into agricultural regions.  However, higher density development is not always a popular idea.  Under pressure by vocal NIMBY residents,  local governments are not allowing higher density developments. 


Read More> Open letter to Commissioners from Preserve Brentwood

The solution is not to eliminate higher density development, but instead encourage development that has high quality urban design.  And that my friends requires good urban planning and strong political leadership.

 Read More>Marpole Community Plan welcomes more density



EDUCATION

According to the 2010 census, 80 percent of Americans live in urban areas.  A 2011 survey conducted by U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) the 72 percent of consumers know nothing or very little about farming or ranching.  Given the results of the survey it is not surprising that new residents moving into rural areas are not prepared for the smells, noise and dust produced by farms.

There are a number of ways that residents can be better prepared for country living.  To help prepare potential rural residents for their country living experience, Ottawa County, Michigan has produced a brochure entitled "If You Are Thinking About Moving to the Country You May Want to Consider This..."

There are other ways to educate the public as well, such as including information regarding right to farm laws in deeds and covenants and requiring real estate agents to disclose farm practices to potential buyers. Other ways to educate the public is through farm tours, agritourism and county fairs.


INTEGRATION

Good context based design is important for any subdivision.  In rural areas, buffers adjacent to farm operations are a must.  The most common form of a buffer in rural areas is a vegetative strip.  The vegetation serves as a filter, straining out sediments, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants.


Vegetative Strip
Other considerations that need to be taken into account are prevailing wind direction and speed, local atmospheric conditions, distance from farm operations, topography etc.


Read More>United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station General Technical Report SRS-109 September 2008 Conservation Buffers Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways


MITIGATION

The final strategy is to address nuisance issues after the fact.  Right to Farm laws protect farm operations from most nuisance complaints. Therefore it is often left to the adjacent property owner to provide relief.  As noted above vegetative strips are a common tool to address these issues.

However, farmers are not completely off the hook.  Many states regulate pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorous, hydrogen sulfide and particulate matter. Even if there were no regulations, a recent survey by  (USFRA) found that "[n]early all farmers and ranchers say that protecting the environment (99 percent)... [was a] very or somewhat important goal or practice related to their business".

Farmers use a variety of techniques to manage nuisances.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) there is no single, ideal management practice system for controlling a particular pollutant in all situations. Rather, the system should be designed based on the type of pollutant; the source of the pollutant; the cause of the pollution at the source; the agricultural, climatic, and environmental conditions; the pollution reduction goals.



The best nuisance control methods use a multilayer approach called Vegetative Environmental Buffers (VEB).  This type of buffering is more effective than a single approach.  Other measures that can be taken include berms, fencing, and installing best management practices

Read More>Planning Guidelines for Separating Agricultural and Residential Land Uses

WHAT'S NEXT?

Managing Urban Farming.

 

Picture Credits:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131104/NEWS/311040321 
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/water/watersheds/vegetated-buffer-strips-slow-the-flow.html
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/protecting/conservation/practices/buffergrass.aspx

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