Wisconsin Ag Connection - Tour Showcases Nation's Most Innovative Land Use Programs

Wisconsin Ag News Headlines

Tour Showcases Nation's Most Innovative Land Use Programs
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 08/12/2008

Local and state officials, farmers, landowners and developers will have the opportunity to see and hear first-hand how three densely populated states have implemented growth management and working lands protection programs in the Ultimate Land Use Study Tour scheduled for October 2008. The tour is coordinated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension and is designed to showcase some of the most innovative land use programs in the nation based in Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

"Communities in the east, where development pressures have been far greater than in Wisconsin, have had 30 years of experience in determining what works and what doesn't," says Wisconsin Ag Secretary Rod Nilsestuen. "The Ultimate Land Use Study Tour is the fastest and best way I know to see this up close and ask your own questions directly of farmers, local government leaders and developers."

The study tour is based on a highly successful program initiated in 1998 by the Michigan Rural Development Council and the American Farmland Trust Great Lakes regional office. It includes sessions with farmers on land preserved for future agriculture production and visits to residential developments where building has been promoted. Developers will share experiences on ways they have benefited from the same program that protects farmland.

"These communities have figured out how to develop win-win solutions that don't pit farmers and folks who want to preserve the land against developers," said Mike Koles, Waupaca County UW-Extension community resource development educator. "When both parties' interests can be met, everyone wins."

The next Ultimate Land Use Tour is scheduled for October 15-20. The cost is $950 per person, including airfare, meals, lodging and materials. There are only 50 seats available. To register and get more information, call 608-224-5401.