Work with farmers–vote ‘no’ on Ulysses land purchase

To the editor: 

The Town of Ulysses wishes to buy 30 acres of prime agricultural land on Krums Corners Road to create a sports park.  Whether that transaction can proceed depends on the outcome of voting that will take place on December 6. 

The town has talked a lot about preserving the agricultural character of this area. The Vision Statement for the Comprehensive Plan states that Ulysses takes great pride in its agricultural heritage.  It mentions promoting support for agricultural sustainability.  Its standards for flag lots, like the one chosen for development on Krums Corners Road, state that “In areas where agriculture is the predominant land use, in particular the A/R and R Zones, flag lots should be located on the least productive agricultural lands and be configured so as to minimize interference with the agricultural use of lands.” According to the USDA soil survey of 1965, the soils at the site are described as either “Prime farmland if drained” or “All areas are prime farmland.”  The land is in one of two large Agricultural Districts in the county. The purpose of Agricultural Districts is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production. 

The corn on this land has just been harvested producing approximately 6,000 bushels or about 168 tons of corn, enough to fill 5-8 tractor trailers, depending on the size of the truck.  That is a lot of food coming from the 30 acres that may be taken out of production.

Farmland is in short supply.  The hypocrisy of the Town doing exactly what it says others should not do is mind boggling.  The approval of this athletic field project would also establish the precedent that “preservation of farmland” can be ignored when planning large developments.  How can you tell a developer with big plans that “You can’t do it, but we can?”

Let’s not make a mockery of the Town’s stated goals, guidelines and philosophy.    

Let’s work with farmers, rather than against them.

Vote “NO” on December 6.

Dan Clement, Dubois Road