Holding down developments
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — He admits his motives weren’t purely altruistic.
Even so, Gary Sommers has made it so 600 acres of farmland in Clinton Township will stay farmland forever.
Sommers, 8829 E. County P, Clinton, will donate the right to develop his farmland to the Jefferson County Land Trust Network, putting it into a permanent conservation easement.
Sommers still will own the property. But when he sells it, the easement will stay with the deed, permanently preventing development.
The trust will oversee the property to make sure future owners follow the rules.
For now, the land will be farmed as normal, Sommers said.
“I don’t see any change at all in day-to-day operation of the farm,” Sommers said. “That’s the way it should be. That’s why you’re doing it … to preserve it.”
Sommers acknowledged that a permanent easement could make his farmland harder to sell when he’s ready.
“I did consider that,” Sommers said. “I guess in the end, that wasn’t the deciding factor. I guess it would be two things: the preservation of land for agricultural use and also a tax advantage.”
The network works with property owners all around Wisconsin and offers a variety of programs to reward landowners for their donations. Owners can donate or sell the land itself or sell or donate the right to develop it, as Sommers did.
Farmers often are tempted to sell to developers, who often pay more for fields than other farmers do.
Someday, Rock County could provide a program that gives farmers an option when they want to sell. The county’s land conservation committee is in preliminary discussion about whether a purchase of development rights program would work here.
A PDR program has been in effect in Dane County’s town of Dunn for 10 years. The town helps bring together interested parties—such as land trusts, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources or Dane County—to pay a farmer for the right to develop the land.
The land is put in a permanent easement and still can be farmed.
To learn more
The Land Trust Network of Jefferson County will help landowners anywhere in Wisconsin protect their property from development.
If you want to learn more about easements, visit www.landtrustnetwork.org or contact the trust at LTN, P.O. Box 142, Watertown, WI 53094.
Jan 14, 2008 at 8:35 p.m.
Suggest removal
Our family farms and we are very fortunate to have had the farm in the family for 3 generations now. What most people don't realize about farming is that unfortunately we have no control over what the commodity prices are trading at and the costs of inputs associated with planting that crop. And after putting all that money and time up front, you pray that you have a decent year so you can pay your bills, fulfill your contracts and hopefully continue farming for another year. Plus most family farms have one spouse who works off farm so that they can provide their family with "affordable" health insurance- as is the case in our house.
A couple of good reasons for a child not taking over the family farm is 1) its not a job that pays alot in comparison to the number of hours put in and 2)the cost of purchasing the farm, equipment, etc from your family is very expensive and hard to cash flow. Keep in mind those tractors you see in the fields cost atleast two times more than a brand new SUV... So unfortunately if a farmer would like to retire someday, some of them have to sacrifice their farm. I can say if you know someone who farms, you can see it is in their blood and its not an easy decision to just up and sell to a developer. It's just sad that it happens.
Kudos to Gary!
Jan 14, 2008 at 7:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
Farming is more a way of life than an actual job with benefits, insurance, retirement etc. Most farmers retirement is funded by the selling of their land and equipment when they are done farming. Until somebody comes up with a better solution, farmers will continue to do this. But kudos goes out to this guy and what he is doing with his land.
Jan 14, 2008 at 12:33 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hooray, finally a farmer who puts his acreage where his mouth is - too many farmers out there fight about ag land staying ag, until their kids leave the farm for the city and developers swoop down for the farm. Then try telling those farmers what they can, and can't, do with "their" land.
No retirement money, no inheritance. Suddenly, the cronies who serve local government are fudging the zoning and maps to allow that farmer to sell-out.
I have been around long enough to know that there is a K-Mart in Janesville that sits on a once pristine prairie - but that the city "needed" the land and the farmer/owner had the right connections in the courthouse.
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