PDF Farmland Preservation Program
Summary
The Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program identifies and protects agricultural areas against urban sprawl and unplanned development. The program is designed to preserve agricultural land and open spaces by promoting orderly land use planning and development, by promoting soil and water conservation, and by providing tax relief to farmers in the program.
Eligibility Requirements
In order for farmers in any county to participate in the program, the county must adopt an agricultural preservation plan which is certified by the Land and Water Conservation Board. An owner of land in an agricultural preservation or transition area may qualify for farmland preservation tax credits if a county, town or municipality has adopted a certified exclusive agricultural use zoning ordinance. If not, a landowner in a rural county may still qualify for tax credits by entering into a farmland preservation agreement.
Furthermore, in order to receive a tax credit, the landowner must be a resident of Wisconsin, own a minimum of 35 or more acres of contiguous land which produced gross farm profits of not less than $6,000 in the last year or $18,000 in the last three years, or own a parcel of 35 or more acres of which at least 35 acres are enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. Farming operations must be conducted in compliance with county soil and water conservation standards.
For more information, call (608) 224-4634 or write the
Farmland Preservation Program, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI 53708-8911