Three-Year Planning Effort

A striking piece of the Dakota County PDR program is the amount of planning that took place prior to implementing the program. During the 1990s, Dakota County experienced rapid growth. Each year between 2,000 and 3,000 acres of land were converted from agricultural use to suburban development. Three thousand new houses were built each year. This rapid growth led to interest in preserving natural areas and farmland. In 1998 the county received $200,000 from the Minnesota Legislature for a preliminary planning effort. The money was used to inventory farmland and natural areas; increase awareness among citizens, landowners, farmers and local officials; conduct a financing options survey; and develop a farmland and natural areas protection plan and "tool box". The planning effort was a partnership among various county agencies, non-profits, and state agencies. With information gathered from public input and spatial analysis, 80,000 acres of farmland and natural areas were identified, inventoried and prioritized for potential protection.

In 2001, the county conducted a citizen survey. Ninety-six percent of respondents expressed interest in protecting natural areas and lakes (69% said it was very important and 27% said it was somewhat important). Fifty-four percent of respondents expressed a strong interest in protecting farmland. The following year, The Trust for Public Land conducted an independent poll of Dakota County citizens and found that 63% of respondents favored a referendum to implement a farmland and natural areas protection program.

Information obtained through the surveys and planning process suggested that rapid growth was the number one citizen concern. Dakota County citizens wanted the county to play a role in protecting farmland and natural areas. The surveys also suggested homeowners were willing pay $9.65 per year for every $100,000 of housing value to be used for farmland and natural areas protection.

In 2002, after completion of both surveys and the inventory and prioritization of farmland and natural areas, the Dakota County Board of Commissioners adopted the Farmland and Natural Area Protection Plan. The County received an additional $93,000 from the State Legislature to implement the plan. In addition, the Commissioners authorized a $20 million bond referendum. It was estimated that the referendum would increase property taxes $17 dollars per year on a median value home of $176,300. Citizens and non-profits successfully campaigned and the referendum was approved by 57% of voters.

Why Farmland and Natural Areas?

It is often suggested that farmland preservation programs should focus on farmland and farm infrastructure. The Dakota County example, however, includes both natural areas and farmland. According to Al Singer, there was strong value placed on natural areas by the urban population of Dakota County. Other features of a "successful" program were elicited by the community surveys, including a desire to:

To gain widespread public support, the program was ultimately designed to protect both farmland and natural areas. During the initial inventories, 36,000 acres of privately owned land were identified as eligible to participate in the natural areas program. Eligibility criteria, which are outlined below, vary by program area.

Natural Areas Protection Criteria

Lands eligible for protection under the natural areas program must meet at least one of the following characteristics:

• Contains and protects features of ecological significance

• Improves and/or expands wildlife habitat

• Is adjacent to a stream, river, or lake

• Provides additional environmental benefits such as protecting or improving surface or groundwater

Farmland Protection Criteria

The farmland protection criteria recognize that money spent to protect farmland could also help to meet one of the major program goals of preserving and improving surface water quality. The following eligibility criteria were established for participation in the farmland program:

• Land must be planned and zoned for agriculture with a maximum allowable housing density of 1 unit per 40 acres

•  Land must be located outside of a planned sewer service area

• Property must be currently enrolled or become enrolled in the equivalent of Wisconsin's farmland preservation program

• Property must contain at least 40 acres, with at least half of the property in active agricultural use and classified agricultural by the assessor

• At least 75% of active agricultural land must contain category 1 or 2 soils (as classified by NRCS soil surveys) or have irrigation infrastructure, or a combination of both

• Land must be within 1/2 mile of designated rivers and streams or adjacent to already protected land

Prioritization Criteria

Land that meets the eligibility criteria outlined above is further prioritized based on the following types of criteria:

• Size and quality of farmland or natural area

• Adjacency to protected farmland or natural area

• Water quality benefits

• Stewardship or restoration potential

• Level of landowner donation and outside funds

• Public access to natural areas

• Other unique characteristics

Program Success

The Dakota County Farmland and Natural Areas Protection Program website contains program guidelines, landowner fact sheets, application forms, and other related program information.