Wisconsin Ag Connection - Petition Period Opens for 2015 Ag Enterprise Areas

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Petition Period Opens for 2015 Ag Enterprise Areas
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 09/16/2014

The petition period is now open for 2015 Agricultural Enterprise Area designation, which is designed to provide tax credits for farmers and keep land in agriculture.

Agricultural enterprise areas, or AEAs, are blocks of land that are primarily in agricultural use, either for farming or for businesses that serve the farming sector. They are created when local governments together with at least five local landowners petition the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture and the department approves the designation.

AEA designation by itself does not limit land use within the area, or protect from encroaching development. It does allow farmers within the AEA to receive tax credits of $5-$10 per acre if they enter farmland preservation agreements with the department. The designation can also be used with local planning and zoning, conservation easements, ag economic development incentives and other tools to support farming and the local farm economy.

"Farmers and agribusinesses need some certainty that their ag infrastructure is going to be around for the future, so they can feel confident investing in their businesses," said John Petty, Administrator of DATCP's Agricultural Resource Management Division, which houses the AEA program. "AEAs can provide some of that certainty. They're a tool to help preserve and build rural communities. They allow for a broad range of actions that local governments can take to maintain a farming base for their economies."

Petition materials, including detailed instructions and petition forms, are available online at http://datcp.wi.gov, search for 'petition materials'.

Completed petitions are due April 30, 2015. Petitions must be completed jointly by local landowners and local government officials.

When AEAs designated this year, Wisconsin will have 29 AEAs totaling 940,000 in 22 counties, 85 towns and the Bad River Reservation. The department has authority to designate up to two million acres in AEAs.

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