Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plans

Ulster County is updating its agricultural and farmland protection plan.  The survey for this project closed on December 1, 2023.  A draft plan will be prepared in 2024 after release of the 2022 Census of Agriculture data on February 13, 2024.

Much has changed since the last Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan was adopted in 1997.  Local development pressures, various macroeconomic trends, and more major storms are having an impact on agriculture in the County.    The updated Plan will focus on understanding the current needs of farming and farm-related businesses in Ulster County and devise strategies to increase the economic viability of the agricultural industry, encourage farmland protection, and increase public interest and awareness of the importance of agriculture in Ulster County.

A survey of farmers, members of the public not involved in farming, and those who rent land to farmers was conducted from late summer into late fall of 2023.  This survey is part of the development of the updated Plan.  A summary of the survey results can be downloaded here.
 
More information about the project can be found at https://participate.ulstercountyny.gov/ag-protection-plan
 

vegetable field

County Plan from 1997

The Ulster County Legislature formally adopted the Ulster County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan by resolution on September 11, 1997.

Local Plans