Schoharie County's efforts to plan for its agricultural future have now moved online.
Since February, the County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board, with help from consultant Nan Stolzenburg, has been reaching out to farmers and others in the industry in an effort to update the County Ag Plan adopted in 2000.
Two farmer focus sessions held in February drew a total of about 100 participants, who offered their thoughts the opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
Now, a farmer survey designed to allow for more detailed answers is available on the county website, www.schohariecounty-ny.gov.
Click on the survey link on the website's main page to participate.
Paper copies of the survey are also available by mail by contacting Alicia Terry at 295-8770.
The survey asks farmers to rank about two dozen issues including access to skilled labor, profit margins, and local, state, and federal regulations as large, moderate, small, or not an issue, and then asks them which three are the most important for the county to address in its new plan.
It also asks farmers to quantify such features as the availability of open land, soil health and quality, rural lifestyle, and direct sales as very important, moderately important, somewhat important, or not important, and then asks them which three are the most critical.
Finally, it asks them to gauge the importance of some of the opportunities identified at the February focus meetings and asks them which three are the most important to include in the new plan.
Some of the opportunities to pick from include: Changing laws regarding hiring youth on farms, farm-business planning programs, improved availability of broadband, and lower taxes.
For more information on the survey, contact Ms. Terry at 295-8770.
Richard Bates chairs the Ag & Farmland Protection Board.
Other members are: Claude Coons, Jerry Lape, Jack Miller, John Radliff, David Cox, Marjorie Troidl, Karl Westphal, and Earl VanWormer.