City Officials

为农民节省财产税，推动绿化地带的划定, by Valuing Their Land Based on Agricultural Production Rather than Market Value

Who can implement this: State, county, and city lawmakers; advocacy organizations; and agricultural producers

Click to Expand

十大彩票平台农田评估法案允许十大彩票平台农民和牧场主根据其生产力而不是房地产市场价值对其农业财产进行评估和征税. [1]

The Utah State Tax Commission works with other committees and Utah State University to establish values for productivity that are applied statewide, 为不同的土地分类设定每英亩的价值条款. Each qualifying parcel of property is classified upon application according to its existing features and the kind of agriculture being cultivated on it. This classification process gives the land a new value to be assessed and taxed on.

绿地指定是为了更准确地反映农业用地和经营的真实价值，并降低税率，以阻止土地所有者将农业用地出售给住宅开发商. As a result, greenbelt designation could improve both the economic viability of farming operations and the preservation of existing farmlands in Utah County.

绿地区域也是该县遗产的一部分，可以使社区更理想，更宜居. These areas provide green, open spaces, 哪些可以改善空气质量，减少城市热岛效应.

Greenbelt applications must be obtained from the Utah County Farmland Assessor. In order to currently qualify for greenbelt designation, a parcel of land must: 

  1. Be at least five contiguous acres,
  2. 积极投入农业用途至少两年，
  3. 以一种有盈利预期的方式进行管理，
  4. 达到平均年产量要求(每亩产量至少达到全县平均产量的50%).

申请必须在纳税年度的5月1日之前提交. The resulting assessment is valid unless the landowner fills out another application withdrawing from the greenbelt designation.

州和地方立法者应该与农场组织合作，更好地了解对申请绿地指定的土地所有者的期望，并探索简化申请程序的方法.

Implementation:

  • The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food should better inform farmers and ranchers on the benefits of greenbelt property value designation. 虽然绿地系统有显著的好处, landowners must be aware of the program and must individually apply for greenbelt designation, 这意味着如果他们不知道它的存在，有些人可能会错过机会.
  • 建议州和县立法者寻求扩大《十大彩票平台》. 这项法案应该扩大范围，使其专门适用于犹他县, as it is to Salt Lake County. Expanding the act might also allow for more unconventional forms of agriculture, possibly including indoor agriculture.
  • Producers on smaller lots should utilize the Urban Farming Assessment Act where applicable. 该法案允许活跃的农业生产地块在2-4之间.面积为99英亩的土地将像绿地合格的房产一样征税, 将房产税从市场税率降至更合理的成本.

Examples:

《十大彩票平台农田评估法》的制定是为了专门帮助农民和牧场主保护他们在全州不断扩大的城市地区附近的农业用地. Individual county assessors are responsible for assessing land within their jurisdiction, and the Utah County Assessor’s Office has a dedicated farmland assessor who oversees the countywide implementation of the Utah Farmland Assessment Act.

通过调整系统和建设水基础设施来扩大农田，为优质农田土壤带来优质水

Who can implement this: State, county, and city lawmakers; water conservancy districts; and infrastructure-funding boards

扩大和建设水利基础设施将为农场和牧场带来更多高质量的水，并帮助十大彩票平台为其不断增长的人口提供食物. Some areas in Utah County do not have enough irrigation water to make farming viable, 在一些地区，水质不够好，无法维持果园或其他高价值作物的生长. For example, 雪松谷有许多可耕种的农田，但由于山谷中没有可用的水而无法耕种. The cost of building and expanding water infrastructure projects can be prohibitive, 但是，如果这些项目经过精心规划和执行，它们可以在目前水资源有限的地区提供新的农业机会，并增加县和州可用的高功能农业用地的数量.

Water use in the future must be balanced between agricultural and residential use.[1] 未来的水利基础设施项目应与规划的住宅增长相协调，以削减建筑成本，并尽可能有效地利用水资源. One stakeholder mentioned that “agriculture can’t pay for every water infrastructure project; people need to realize that these projects will benefit the entire region in the future.”

随着社区将农业用地转变为城市用地, the water infrastructure that existed to primarily service farms needs to be adapted to provide water not only to the remaining farms, but also to the new homes and businesses. 周密的规划对于适当平衡用水和满足社区用户的所有用水需求非常重要.

Utah’s Water Quality Revolving Fund is an important resource for funding key water-conservation and increased-efficiency strategies. 该基金帮助资助包括管道建设在内的国家项目, ditch lining, and other projects. As legislative focus has shifted to other areas, 这一循环基金的资金近年来一直缺乏.

为了平衡该县农业生产者的用水需求与日益增长的住宅和商业用户的用水需求，水的再利用可能会成为一项日益重要的战略. High-quality water is expensive, and reusing water can be a cost-effective and efficient way to increase quality water supplies. 让水的再利用在犹他县变得更加可行, existing water infrastructure systems must be evaluated and made more efficient. 对下游用户的影响也需要考虑.

Implementation:

犹他县和个别城市可以探索建立地方基金的可行性，以匹配国家水质循环基金的提供. This additional funding for key water projects could increase the efficiency of agricultural and residential water use across Utah County and the state. Some support exists on the federal level for rural agricultural infrastructure projects, 在县和州一级提供相应的支持，将有助于为犹他县的未灌溉土壤带来水.

  • It is recommended that county and city lawmakers establish smaller-scale funds for water or agriculture-based projects in Utah County.
  • These local funds could then be matched by the state Water Quality Revolving Fund to pay for crucial water projects that will improve water management and conservation in different regions.
  • 社区建议的水利基础设施项目, lawmakers, 然后，地区水务机构将获得所需的资金. 这些项目的范围从提高用水效率到扩大犹他县的农业用地数量.
  • State agencies should explore reusing water as a way to increase agricultural water supplies across the state. 这些机构还应制定具体条例，以确保再用水的质量和负责任的使用.
  • 水组织和国家机构应该寻找方法，通过减少蒸发损失的水量来改善现有的水分配系统, pipe leaks, ground seepage, etc.

Examples:

The Central Utah Water Conservancy District encourages water conservation through rebates, loans, and programs that promote new water projects in Utah County and southern Salt Lake County.[2] In Utah County, the conservancy district has mainly focused on upgrading the Utah Valley Water Treatment Plant to provide municipal and irrigation water to communities.[3]

In 2005, 十大彩票平台中部水利区的中央水资源开发项目(CWP)帮助向雪松谷供水. The district purchased water rights from the former Geneva Steel Company and combined them with other ground and surface-water rights.[4] As a result, more water was brought to an area that had previously limited water supplies for farming. The increased amount of water also helped the towns of Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs grow.

The 2015 Utah Senate Bill 216 allows the Office of Energy Development to issue a tax credit to an entity developing a high-cost infrastructure project.[5] This provision could incentivize the development of agricultural water projects and increase water delivery to potential farming areas.

因为不断扩大的住宅和市政发展的需求使农业用水供应紧张, 加州的农业生产者正越来越多地考虑再利用水来满足灌溉需求.[6] 国家部门概述了关于循环水质量的具体规定，以减轻对人类和环境健康的负面影响. In 2007, California’s Sea Mist farms was the biggest user of recycled water in the world, 他们的研究表明，他们使用循环水导致土壤和作物质量基本上与邻近控制地点的土壤和作物质量相当.[7]

促进都市农业和社区园艺

Who can implement this: City officials, communities, governmental organizations, and advocacy organizations

Wasatch Community Gardens

Wasatch Community Gardens

Urban agriculture refers to the growing, processing, 在城市而不是农村地区分配食品和其他产品. 城市农业将城市居民与他们通常无法接触的食物种植过程联系起来. 都市农业对社区产生积极影响, providing both a source of local and healthy food and a place for people to come together and strengthen community ties and relationships.

Urban agriculture includes green-roof gardens, community gardens, and other commercial and noncommercial food production efforts in urban areas. Urban agriculture is valuable because it allows city residents to become involved in and learn more about the food production process. 当地的花园为各个年龄段的居民提供教育机会, 以及曝光小学生的好处, for instance, 对城市来说，农业特别受欢迎，并且有充分的记录.[1] 犹他县已经有几个现有的城市农业聚集地，可以将城市社区与农业部门在社会和经济上联系起来. Traditional agriculture could also be affected as urban residents become more aware of the experiences and benefits of agricultural production.

在小块土地上的辅助用途是主要居住区农业的另一种选择. 能够生产供个人使用或商业销售的食物可以扩大这些地块上的农业, 从农业的角度来看，通常被认为是“失去的”. 简化附属品的使用过程和教育对小规模农业感兴趣的居民，可以扩大农业在犹他县的普及程度，并促进对更大规模农业努力的更广泛赞赏.

城市农业作为绿色基础设施进一步造福城市, reducing storm water runoff, increasing greenspace, reducing the urban heat island effect, 并将空地转变为食品生产的活跃空间.[2] 都市农业对低收入和其他处境不利的家庭也特别有利，因为它提供低成本食品，并鼓励人们更好地融入当地社区.[3]

Implementation

  • It is recommended that city councils enact ordinances and work with the state legislature to provide tax breaks and other incentives for urban farming，特别是建立社区花园.
  • 社区园艺组织应与地方政府合作，试点不同形式的都市农业. One of the most popular and widely implemented examples of this is temporary urban gardening, where gardens are planted in underused, vacant lots.[4] 通过临时的城市园艺，社区可以对抗枯萎病，并测试更永久的城市农业的可行性.[5]
  • If temporary urban gardens are successful, more permanent urban agriculture should be established. 城市还可以与社区合作，绕过临时花园阶段，立即实施更永久性的社区花园和其他形式的城市农业.
  • 个人可以在其财产上采用辅助农业用途, which demonstrates their interest in agriculture on all scales while also increasing the supply of local food in their communities.

Examples:

In 2015, Salt Lake County launched Farmlink, 这个项目的重点是将感兴趣的城市农民与可用于粮食生产的空地联系起来.[6] The program was incentivized through property tax reductions for landowners who were willing to lease their land for urban commercial farming.

Wasatch Community Gardens is the state’s largest community gardening organization, 为社区提供教育和财政资源, schools, and families begin community gardens. The organization runs near-weekly classes during the planting and growing seasons.[7]

十大彩票平台法律允许在住宅用地上进行有条件的农业.[8] Currently, the local planning commission must approve the production of any value-added agricultural products grown as a conditional use on a case-by-case basis.

In 2013, Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones began to be established in California. 这些区域提供税收优惠，以鼓励商业和非商业农业在0至10年之间的土地上进行.在全州的城市化地区有1到3英亩的土地.[9]

 

建立地方农业委员会，专门促进个别社区的农业发展

Who can implement this: County and city lawmakers, and communities

_D5A0405.jpg

农业委员会是常设委员会, created by individual cities, 努力提高农业在社区的知名度. 他们代表和倡导农业社区, encouraging the pursuit of agriculture, 促进农民和牧场主的经济机会, 并保护他们社区的农业企业和土地.[1] 农业委员会主要致力于将当地农民和牧场主与资源联系起来，帮助每个社区的农业蓬勃发展.

Utah County farmers should continually take advantage of the increased networking, educational, 农业委员会提供的经济机会. These commissions allow farmers to be more involved in the decisions of local government, increasing communication between farmers, politicians, and city leaders. 改善农民和地方领导人之间经常缺乏的对话对于确定和解决挑战非常重要，并将最终加强十大彩票平台的农业.

Implementation:

Agricultural commissions are formed by a vote during a county or city council meeting. Massachusetts, 哪里的农业委员会有重要的支持, 列出了创建农业委员会的以下步骤:[2]

  • 确定领导者和组织者，探索在该地区建立农业委员会的可能性.
  • 评估社区农业委员会的利益. Talk to farmers, residents, boards and committees, and community decision makers.
  • 争取农民和镇领导的支持.
  • Organize a public informational meeting.
  • Invite farmers, residents, 并通过书面形式向公众发出邀请, press releases, and newspapers articles.
  • If possible, request that members of established agricultural commissions speak about why they organized, what they do, and the benefits to agriculture.
  • 回答问题:农业委员会对我们镇重要吗? 你认为我们应该在城里组织一个农业委员会吗?
  • Gain commitment from participants to serve on an agricultural commission steering committee.
  • 宣传新成立的指导委员会会议.
  • 起草农业委员会章程和镇会议授权条款，征求镇委员会和镇律师的意见.
  • Research advocates and opposition.
  • 在市镇会议上提交文章供讨论和表决. 本报告由见多识广、准备充分的倡导者提供.

More information can be found in the Massachusetts Association of Agricultural Commissions’ Toolkit for Organizing a Town Agricultural Commission.[3]

Examples:

In several of its cities, 马萨诸塞州有农业委员会，专注于每个城镇和社区面临的独特农业问题. 马萨诸塞州农业委员会协会通过协调委员会的资源以及与州和联邦机构的关系来支持农业委员会, private and nonprofit organizations, and elected officials.[4] 现有的农业委员会处理从营销协调到地方纠纷等一系列问题, and their budgets range from $0–$1,000 per year.[5]

十大彩票平台自然保护区协会也扮演着类似的角色, establishing separate districts across Utah and incentivize landowners to protect soil, water, and other natural resources.[6] 然而，保护区并不专门关注农业.

 

Educate Utah Children About Agriculture

Who can implement this: State, county, and city officials; communities; advocacy organizations, agricultural producers; and school districts

确保未来世代重视农业的最佳方式是将儿童与农场联系起来，并留下持久的印象. 通过创造独特的教育农业体验, 哪些是目前不在州课程范围内的, future generations will be educated about local food and about the food-production process. 这些经历将帮助孩子们了解他们的食物来自哪里，同时也打开了农民之间的交流, teachers, 社区成员和促进农业作为一个可能的职业道路.

In the short term, 个别社区和学校应该创建项目，为孩子们提供动手的农业经验. Ideally, these small-scale efforts will eventually result in changes to the statewide curriculum, 将农业作为十大彩票平台教育的基本组成部分.

Implementation:

  • Communities and school boards should create and promote programs that connect schools to farms. Additionally, 学校和当地农场应在现有项目下协调创造这些机会, especially if expanded or made more accessible.
  • 学区应评估和修订现有课程，使农业教育成为优先事项.
  • It is recommended that educators and farmers work together to advocate for agricultural education becoming a bigger part of school curricula. Outreach should be made to local lawmakers as well as statewide organizations.
  • Policymakers, educators, and farmers need to work together to fill in gaps in agricultural education; they should establish new programs for students at every grade level.
  • 可以修改分区法，允许小型牲畜, like chickens and 4–H animals, 作为农业教育项目的一部分，在学校土地上饲养.

Examples:

The Utah County Farm Bureau and Utah State University Extension hosts Farm Field Days every year, 让小学生参观当地农场，直接体验当地农业. Farm Field Days can be organized by any group of educators and agricultural producers, and the Utah Farm Bureau has funds to meet the cost of separately organized Farm Field Days.[1] The learning stations at Farm Field Days are designed to complement the curriculum objective, set by the Utah Office of Education, to maximize educational benefits for students.

犹他县4-H建立了一个城市羊项目，允许城市的学生在附近的农场养自己的羊, 为他们提供宝贵的饲养牲畜的第一手经验.[2]

The Utah State Office of Education has partnered with many Utah agencies and businesses to establish Agricultural Education Pathways, 一个为有兴趣在五个不同的农业重点领域之一从事职业的高中生提供的项目. 途径探索不同的方式，学生可以更好地理解, value, and become involved in agriculture in Utah. However, 该课程不是全州必修课程的一部分，仅作为高中选修课程存在，根据地点的不同，课程的可用性有限.[3] 许多新的农业工作在全国范围内开放, 让农业成为十大彩票平台学生教育中更大的一部分，将鼓励他们在农业领域寻求职业机会，并加强该州的农业产业.

The Future Farmers of America (FFA) is an organization for students looking to one day become part of the agricultural industry in any form. The FFA has individual chapters in each state, 犹他分校为对农业感兴趣的学生提供奖学金和学习机会.[4]

教育全县民选官员农业的重要性及其在促进农业未来中的作用

Who can implement this: State, county, and city officials; universities; governmental organizations; advocacy organizations; and agricultural producers

Support for agriculture in Utah County among elected officials can vary widely, especially as new people with new ideas are voted in during every election cycle. 尽管犹他县的土地使用实践往往不能反映维持农业的重要性, elected officials should prioritize agriculture in their agenda because of its tremendous economic and cultural effects on life in Utah County.

尽管农业教育对年轻一代至关重要, 在农业教育工作中，不能忽视老一辈人. Elected officials in Utah County should be continually educated about the current conditions and future possibilities of agriculture in the county. In some regions across the nation, 为当选官员举办农场之旅有助于领导人更好地了解农业在其社区中的作用. 这些旅游还让领导人获得了亲身体验农业的机会, which help them better understand the benefits and opportunities provided by of agriculture, 以及农民和牧场主面临的挑战.

Policymakers would also benefit from assistance in writing grants to apply for funding that would support agriculture in their jurisdictions. 申请拨款的过程需要通过教育项目变得更容易接近. Having county and city officials hold grant-writing workshops with farmers may also be helpful.

Implementation:

  • Agricultural experts from universities, state agricultural organizations, the farming industry, and advocacy organizations 应该继续与民选官员接触，帮助立法者了解农业在犹他县的重要性.
  • 这些专家应该每年举行一次实地考察日，向新当选的官员传授农业知识，并将他们与重要的农业生产者和农业企业联系起来. Building relationships among elected officials, agricultural experts, advocacy organizations, and individual producers is crucial in ensuring that lawmakers have all the information needed to understand and create laws regarding agriculture.

Examples:

The Utah Farm Bureau is politically active and involved in educating lawmakers about local and statewide issues that affect agriculture. The organization believes that change happens at a grassroots level and works closely at the county level to implement changes. 十大彩票平台农业局还促进各级农业教育, educating community members from lawmakers to students about different aspects of agriculture.[1]

© 2016 Envision Utah • 254 S 600 E, Suite 201, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102 • 801-303-1450