County’s ag district adds nearly 1,200 acres

ALBION – The Orleans County Agricultural District will grow by nearly 1,200 more acres.

The county each year gives landowners an opportunity to join the ag district. This year, three different property owners asked to be included, representing 1,186 acres.

Darren Roberts, owner of a farm based in Kent, asked for 1,065 of those acres to be included. That land is in Carlton, Gaines and Kendall.

The Roberts land added to the district includes parcels in Carlton on Kent Road, Roosevelt Highway, Sawyer Road, Oak Orchard Road, Erway Sub Lane, Kenyonville Road and Transit Road. Roberts also asked for 105.5 acre son Ridge Road in Gaines and 91.2 acres on Carr Road in Kendall to be in the district.

Joseph Bringley also sought to have 82 acres on Telegraph Road in Murray included in the ag district and Gary Marciszewski asked for 39.3 acres on Lyndonville Road in Ridgeway to be added.

The County Legislature held a public hearing on Tuesday about the ag district additions. The Legislature voted to accept the changes, which were approved by the County Farmland Protection Board. The changes now go to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets for a final OK.

The county’s ag district now includes about 119,000 acres, which is 47.6 percent of the county’s total land area.

Next year will be the full review for the ag district where all 2,200 parcel owners in the district are notified by mail about staying in the district or removing land.

That is a very time-consuming and costly process for the county’s Department of Planning and Development, county legislators were told by Barry Flansburg, chairman of the County’s Farmland Protection Board.