Schoharie County has announced two public hearings to be held on its updated Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan.
The first hearing will be held on Wednesday, January 11 at 7pm in the large meeting room at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schoharie and Otsego Counties, 173 South Grand Street, in Cobleskill.
The second hearing will be held at 9:15am on Friday, January 20 in the Board of Supervisors meeting room, 284 Main Street in Schoharie.
Nan Stolzenburg of Community Planning and Environmental Associates will give a presentation about the updated plan and then comments about the Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan will be heard.
Agriculture is the County's largest industry, encompassing 98,369 acres on 532 farms.
Some 1,124 people are employed in ag and ag-related operations with an annual labor income of $33.9 million.
Schoharie County's farms generate $15.9 million in farm earnings per year, multiplying to $157.7 million in total economic output.
Dairy represents the largest segment of farm sales with $19.3 million, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture.
Schoharie County's original plan is 16 years old, and with grant funding from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the update was undertaken by the county's Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board with Nan Stolzenburg as a consultant.
The plan will be used to guide county programs and policies about agriculture, including economic development efforts and support for grant writing efforts.
The updated draft plan is available on line, in two locations on the Schoharie County Web site, under announcements on the main page and in a second location in the Planning and Development Agency page under Agriculture.
Questions and comments about the plan can be directed to Alicia Terry, senior planner at 295-8792 or aliciaterry @co.schoharie.ny.us.