Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan

The  Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan  is a set of policies, goals, and objectives that guide Dane County rural development in order to best protect working farmland, and preserve the farm economy. This plan is on a 10 year recertification cycle, with the current plan in effect until the next recertification in 2032.

The Farmland Preservation Plan also makes farmers eligible to receive  income tax credits  from the State of Wisconsin.

The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan divides the county up into four major categories, with distinct policies for each:

1. Farmland Preservation Areas, where farming will predominate over the next twenty years;
2. Non-Farm Planning Areas which either are already, or will be, predominately in residential, commercial, recreational, suburban or urban land uses over the next twenty years;
3. Agricultural Enterprise Areas, state-designated, high priority Farmland Preservation Areas where farmers can qualify for enhanced tax incentives, and;
4. Resource Protection Corridors, areas with sensitive environmental features (such as wetlands and floodplains).

Farmers aren't immediately eligible, there are some steps.

To be eligible for Farmland Preservation Tax Credits, farmland must:

1. Be in a Farmland Preservation Area in a DATCP-certified county Farmland Preservation Plan.
2. Be under DATCP-certified  Farmland Preservation Zoning .
3. Comply with  county soil and water conservation standards .

Who farms in Dane County? Thanks to the  USDA Census of Agriculture , conducted every 5 years, we can better understand the demographics of our farmers in Dane county.

In 2020, Dane County had 377,913 acres in active agricultural use, 110,446 acres in grassland and other open land and 99,890 acres in woodland. Together, these categories of land use accounted for 77% of the total land area in the county. Corn and soybean accounted for 276,158 acres, or 73% of all land in agricultural use.

Dane County’s population continues to grow, with 738,000 people expected to call Dane County home by 2050.  Housing for all those people often competes with agriculture for the same land.  Maintaining both a strong agricultural base and a rapidly growing population requires careful planning.

Over the past 20 years, Dane County’s climate has become wetter and hotter.  These trends are expected to intensify over the next 40 years. By 2060, Dane County will have more days with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit and more days with more than 1 inch of rainfall.  Farmers can better prepare for extreme weather with continuous cover crops and better soil and water conservation practices.

Twenty three towns have adopted Dane County's Farmland Preservation Zoning ordinance, which includes three state-certified zoning districts:

•  FP-35 (General Farmland Preservation) ;
•  FP-1 (Small-Lot Farmland Preservation) ; and
•  FP-B (Farmland Preservation - Business) 

 Other county zoning districts  in Farmland Preservation Areas are designed to be compatible with nearby agriculture. More permissive residential, commercial and industrial zoning districts are allowed only in Non-Farm Planning areas. Other towns, cities and villages have adopted  their own state-certified farmland preservation zoning ordinances , consistent with county Farmland Preservation Plans.

Governments at the local, county, state and federal levels, and nonprofit land trusts use conservation easements to permanently protect valuable farmland and natural resources. The 2022 Farmland Preservation Plan includes a new matching grant program to help local governments leverage state and  federal funding  to develop easement purchase programs.

Transfer of Development Rights, or "TDR," is a method for willing landowners to trade potential development sites under town density policies. Dane County has adopted a  Transfer of Development Rights ordinance  to support town TDR programs. Lands are divided into "TDR Sending Areas," where lands are to be protected from development, and "TDR Receiving Areas," where lands are encouraged to develop. Town TDR policies vary according to their  adopted comprehensive plan .

As utilities, businesses and individuals move away from fossil fuels, demand for alternative forms of energy will increase. Dane County can anticipate proposals for new solar energy facilities, particularly in the 10-100 megawatt range, in the near future. The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan includes  new policies and design guidance  to help make sure such facilities meet their potential for reducing dependence on carbon fuels, while also minimizing impacts to onsite and neighboring agriculture, habitat and natural resources.