Wisconsin Working Lands Initiative

The Working Lands Initiative is an effort of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to examine new strategies for protecting Wisconsin�s working lands as a vital component of the state�s economy. The Initiative seeks to foster innovative partnerships among public and private entities and develop a policy toolkit for state and local governments to protect working lands for agriculture, forestry, tourism and recreational use. Recommendations from an August 2006 Wisconsin Working Lands Initiative Report were discussed during the conference and are reprinted below.

The Challenge
Wisconsin is at a turning point. The extensive farmland that established our character as the dairy state is rapidly disappearing to development in many parts of the state. The forested lands that built our paper and recreation industries are being sold as small, private lots. These changes are essentially irreversible, and are accelerating.

However, they are not inevitable results of economic growth and population increases. On the contrary, it is the way we choose to use our lands that leads to these losses. We can markedly improve our economic growth, public services, and quality of life by using our lands more wisely and by helping the agricultural industry increase farm profitability. It is easier to protect farmland when the farm operations on the land are profitable. Surveys of Wisconsin citizens show that high percentages of citizens favor protection of farm and forestlands and preservation of the rural character of their towns and counties. We are in danger of missing an important opportunity to shape the future of Wisconsin. Working lands remain central to the economic growth of the state, to our quality of life, and to the environment. However, we have allowed our policy tools to become outdated and underpowered. In the 1970s, Wisconsin was a national leader in farmland preservation when it enacted the Farmland Preservation Program. Since then, Wisconsin has changed markedly. Our working lands toolkit has not. As a result, landowners, local governments, and state policy makers are not able to take the actions necessary to capitalize on the opportunities offered by working lands and to avert the threats to working lands.	Wisconsin�s working lands are used for agriculture, forestry, tourism and recreation.

	Photo: Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility

	Photo: USEPA Great Lakes National Program Office

	Photo: Wisconsin Department of Tourism

Managing Growth
The issue is not should we grow; the issue is how should we grow. The Wisconsin economy benefits from smart growth in housing and commercial building. Our goal is to find new approaches to planning and zoning, and policies that promote residential and commercial development while also preventing the further loss and fragmentation of Wisconsin working lands.

The Threats
Wisconsin working lands face many threats, which will continue for the foreseeable future.

Wisconsin�s population continues to grow.
Economic trends in international trade, forestry, and agriculture are reducing the profitability of working lands.
Housing density is decreasing.
Zoning classifications and minimum lot sizes are fostering conversion of working lands.
Total agricultural land is declining and remaining land is fragmenting.
Forested land is being fragmented and parcelized for recreational and other uses.
The workforces in agriculture and forestry are aging.
Land prices are rising rapidly.
The economic infrastructure necessary for agriculture and forestry is declining.

Recommendations for Action
The Working Lands Initiative Steering Committee recommends the following package of new and updated tools to protect and enhance working lands:

Update the existing Farmland Preservation Program to improve agricultural planning and zoning, increase tax credits, and improve the flexibility of local governments to administer the program;
Create a new Working Lands Enterprise Areas program to foster clustering of active farms and slow farmland conversion, while providing incentives to promote environmental sustainability;
Create a new state Purchase of Development Rights grant program to permanently preserve selected properties, working in partnership with local governments and organizations;
Create a beginning farmer and logger program to improve farm viability and recruit and train the next generation of farmers and loggers;
Support the Wisconsin Professional Loggers Association�s programs that promote the current and encourage the next generation of loggers;
Promote opportunities to increase non-agricultural development density and quality of life, using land more efficiently and reducing demand for conversion of working lands;
Improve state leadership in working lands preservation to set statewide priorities and provide technical resources and assistance to local governments;
Create a new education and outreach program to help local governments implement working lands programs and increase public understanding and support of programs;
Create a new public/private organization to promote agricultural entrepreneurship and regional initiatives, and strengthen the state�s existing programs that offer grants and technical assistance to farmers; and
Endorse various Department of Natural Resources programs and pilot programs that are addressing forestry and public lands issues. These include the Forest Legacy Program and Managed Forest Law, the Healthy Forests Initiative, and the Land Legacy Program.

For More Information
This article was excerpted from an August 2006, Wisconsin Working Lands Initiative Steering Committee Report. To obtain a copy of the report and other materials, please visit the Working Lands Initiative website at: www.datcp.state.wi.us/workinglands/index.jsp

Why Should We Protect Wisconsin�s Working Lands?

Wisconsin is losing 30,000 acres of farmland per year, roughly equivalent to one and a half townships per year.
We are seeing an increase in rural fragmentation with more parcels created in the size of 5-10 acres. These parcels are "too small to farm, but too large to mow."
51% of farmland is owned by farmers age 55+.
Nearly � of all farmland is rented from a non-farmer.
The value of farmland sold for development ($4,728 per acre) is higher and rising faster than the value of farmland sold for continued agricultural use ($3,283 per acre).
The agriculture and food industry is a $51 billion sector, and historically the most stable industry in the state.
The forest products industry is the second largest manufacturing employer in the state, translating into 15 percent of the state�s total manufacturing wage and salary income.
Wisconsin has one-half the forestry base of Minnesota but generates two and a half times the economic impact from forestry.
Agriculture and forest land provide benefits to the environment through stormwater retention, flood control, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat.

Compiled from remarks by Rod Nilsestuen and Scott Everett.

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