Westchester County”™s dwindling inventory of protected farmland has been increased with the addition this month of eight property parcels to a county agricultural district.
The county Board of Legislators approved the addition to Agricultural District 1 of four properties in the town of Cortlandt, two in the town of North Salem and two in the town of Bedford. It comes at a time when restaurants and retailers in the region increasingly are turning to locally produced food supplies.
With that farm-to-table trend encouraging a new generation of farmers in the Hudson Valley region, it makes “good economic sense” to keep the county”™s agricultural districts protected, said Board of Legislators Majority Leader Peter Harckham, D-Katonah.
“The importance of agriculture to the northern Westchester economy and job growth simply cannot be understated,” he said in a prepared statement. “Agricultural districts make sure farming remains a viable economic activity, which keeps farmland in active use, and they give farm owners certain protections under New York state”™s right-to-farm laws.”
Agricultural land also contributes significantly to the quality of life in Westchester by preserving open space and habitats for wildlife and vegetation, Harckham noted.
“The economic base that comes with agricultural endeavors is one that creates unique jobs and allows communities to keep in touch with their history,” said County Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers, chairman of the board”™s environment and energy committee. “Whether the properties are used for farming crops, dairy production or raising horses, they all contribute to Westchester”™s special character and prosperity through agribusiness.”
