Board Updates
In December 2023, Ed Robinette made the decision to not seek reappointment to his position as Township Representative. The Board thanked Ed for his 12 years of service on the Agricultural Preservation Board and expressed their respect for the calm and pragmatic demeanor he brought to all discussions. Join us in wishing Ed luck as he prepares for the 2024 elections in Grand Rapids Township!
In January 2024, the Board of Commissioners appointed Rob Steffens, Sparta Township Trustee, to the Agricultural Preservation Board. Rob fills the vacant Township Representative seat and brings a lifetime of farming experience in the Fruit Ridge to the Board. Board members and staff appreciate Rob for his willingness to volunteer to continue the work of permanently preserving farmland.
At the January 10th meeting, Agricultural Preservation Board members voted in their 2024 officers. Denny Heffron and Suzie Reinbold return as the Chair and Vice Chair, respectively and the Board voted in Jessica Marks as the Secretary.
Join the Agricultural Preservation Board!
There is vacancy on the Board for an Agricultural Interest Representative. Board members guide the Purchase of Development Rights program, meet with representatives from area organizations for partnership opportunities, and occasionally walk a farm. The time commitment is about 1.5 hours a month and the deadline to apply is February 17, 2024.
To qualify for this position, an applicant needs to demonstrate a strong familiarity with an aspect of the agricultural industry. Such experience can come from living or working on a farm or volunteering with an agriculturally focused group or activity such as 4H. If you are interested in learning more, please call Matt Channing at (616) 632-7593. Click the button below to login to the Kent County system and start an application.
Board of Commissioners Approves Funding for 233.5 Acres of Farmland
The Board of Commissioners approved the final funding pieces for two Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) applications out of Sparta Township today. The Bettes & Kingsbury Families Property is 76 acres and the Linda Bradford Trust Property is 157.6 acres. When these two applications close Kent County will have preserved over 3,000 acres! The Agricultural Preservation Board encourages all farmland owners to consider if preservation is the right step for their family and legacy. Click the button below to learn more about the PDR program. You can view the full press release at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/KENTCOMI/bulletins/3890984
Consumer Horticulture Extension Educator
Michigan State University Extension is hiring two Extension Educator positions for Kent and Kalamazoo Counties. The Educator will provide local and statewide leadership and educational programming expertise in alignment with the needs of home and community gardeners and will lead the local Extension Master Gardener Programs. Candidates can indicate their preference for location within their cover letter and the application deadline is February 12, 2024. Interested applicants may learn more at https://careers.msu.edu/en-us/listing/
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. Seeks Community Garden Facilitators
DGRI is seeking qualified partners in the community to facilitate and provide programming for a 40-50 plot community garden in Downtown Grand Rapids. Interested partners and organizations can view the full Request for Qualifications here. Submissions are due by March 1, 2024. Inquiries can be sent to Kendsie Channing, Manager of Neighbor Experience, at kchanning@downtowngr.org.
Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage Programs
Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County (ARC-CO) or PLC, which provide crop-by-crop protection, or ARC-Individual (ARC-IC), which protects the entire farm. Although election changes for 2024 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm it will continue for 2024 unless an election change is made.
If producers do not submit their election revision by the March 15, 2024 deadline, their election remains the same as their 2023 election for commodities on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the cropland.
Covered commodities include barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.
Cascade Township's Commitment to Agricultural Preservation
In the fall of 2023, a Planning Commission subcommittee focusing on preserving the remaining farmland within Cascade Township invited Agricultural Preservation Board members and staff to several information sessions. At these sessions, staff and Board members presented on the Purchase of Development Rights program and other zoning tools available to townships to assist with preservation.
These information sessions helped the Cascade understand the possibilities available to them. As a sign of the Township's commitment, there is for the first time funding of $100,000 in the 2024 budget for farmland and greenspace preservation within the Township. The Agricultural Preservation Board are grateful for Cascade Townships partnership.
Sparta Township Master Planning
Sparta Residents are encouraged to take the survey at the link below for the Sparta Township Master Plan. A Master Plan is the vision for what the Township will look like in the future and it identifies goals and strategies that guide future development within the Township. Feedback will help guide what updates are made to the Township’s Master Plan. The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete. Please complete the survey by February 11, 2024.
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