Agricultural Commission Meeting June 23, 2010

My opening comments as Chair of the Agricultural Commission for the meeting of June 23. I was nervous about them but they were very well recieved

Agriculture in Effingham is at a crossroads in its future. The town has granted us the ability to form this commission to advise the town as a whole and the various boards in particular as to issues relating to general agriculture. In turn the selectmen have appointed the five regular and the five alternate members as directed by the town.. As a town we have not been blessed with a major body of water with which to attract tourists and many summer residents, we are not situated in a major highway with which to attract more industrial type of development. In some areas many services are not offered unless we have a concentration of industry to utilize those services, and industry will not locate here unless we are able to offer those services. I see the future of this town as being in the area of agriculture, and agricultural related businesses. We can make a name for ourselves in promoting ourselves as an agriculturally friendly town. New Hampshire as a whole is becoming very agriculturally challenged, and we have to find a way to turn this tide. Development is encroaching on farm land and history has shown that once that land is lost it almost never reverts back to agricultural use, and the sprawl keeps on happening. Farmers also have to be able to coexist with more and more residential neighbors, and conservation issues.
Effingham has a rich agricultural history, all you have to do is listen to landmarks, you have the Davis Farm, The Watson Farm, Gale Farm, Cloverleaf Farm, Meloon Farm, Washburn Farm, and Farm by the River to name a few. The problem being is many people are moving to the area because of the “rural character”, but not knowing what that entails. They come to places like Effingham because of the wide open spaces, yet complain about the noise of the frogs at night, or the rooster crowing at dawn. They complain about the smell of manure in the spring or the cows that invariably get out and roam the area.
On Tuesday June first the Union Leader ran an article based on a report exploring the economic impact of New Hampshire’s local food. It was found that only thirty percent of New Hampshire’s farms had positive income while forty seven percent nationwide do. Maine has forty percent and Vermont forty four percent. Granted Northern States will have a lower percentage than southern states because of challenges in climate and land type. Farmers in New Hampshire could only feed six percent of our population compared to forty percent for Maine and Vermont. While both other states have less population density than New Hampshire, it is imperative that agriculture in New Hampshire close the gap.
One of the problems in New Hampshire as I have stated before is the sprawl factor that is happening, and looking at farmland lost in the southern tier of the state and moving northward. To combat this sprawl we have to make regulations more agriculturally friendly. We also have to make our farms more efficient to help make up for lost lands. I have been skimming the best management practices put out by the state, and they have guidelines to help with that as well as helping to protect the environment.
It behooths those involved in agriculture to be good stewards of the land. I don’t care what your religious beliefs are, but if you look at the Bible, it gives good sound management practices like rotating crops, and letting land lay fallow to recharge itself. I for one am very interested in the pasture management plan being put into use by the Klotz’s at the Farm by the River, as it works in just that type of philosophy. As farmers we must be good stewards of the land and our environment to help promote a healthy environment and a healthy population. We look at the large Agri-businesses and cringe as they utilize every square inch of their land, deplete the nutrients in the soil, then treat the land with chemicals to build those nutrients up artificially. One just has to wonder what the health connections are as we look at risks like ADD, ADHD, Autism, Cancer, High Blood Pressure, just to name a few. Face it many environmentalists cringe when they hear the word farm today because they equate farms with the huge agri-businesses. It is up to us to work with groups like the planning board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Board of Selectmen, and Green Mountain Conservation Group, to educate that farms can co-exist with residential uses, conservation uses, as well as other uses. Mush of our richest farmland borders lakes, rivers, ponds, and other wetlands. But by utilizing best management practices we can coexist. It is in the agriculturist’s best interest to protect surface water, ground water, and deep water, as well as properly maintain open spaces, and forest land. We want to protect Steep slopes because of what we see happening in California with mud slides. Proper forest management can help preclude forest fires. We all know the importance of water sources for irrigation and watering of animals. If we pollute those sources we taint the quality of our crops and our animals.
My challenge to all in this room is to keep this in mind as we continue on with our planning and evaluations of regulations and resources. Work with our counterparts on other boards and commissions to come up with recommendations to protect everyone. This is not about personal agendas; it is about the best interest and development of the town of Effingham and the agricultural community, and development of agricultural related businesses.