The purpose of the Agricultural Advisory Committee is to advise the Town Board and other Town agencies on matters pertaining to the preservation, promotion, and ongoing operation of agricultural activity in the Town of Brutus.
The responsibilities of the committee shall be as follows:
• To recommend methods, review proposals, and develop proposals for the implementation of the goals of the Town of Brutus Agriculture and Farmland Protection Plan and, report their findings to the Town Board.
• To, from time to time, amend and update the Plan as needed and refer such updates and amendments to the Town Board.
• To monitor local farming activity and determine existing issues facing farmers and those in related endeavors and to recommend reasonable and desirable solutions to the Town Board.
• To monitor trends in agriculture, and local development so as to identify future issues, which will face farmers and those in related endeavors and to recommend reasonable and desirable solutions to the Town Board.
• To identify methods whereby the Town Board, County or State governments can encourage existing farmers to continue in active agricultural operation.
• To, when requested by the Town Board or other agencies engaged in and environmental review of proposed private or public development projects and/or infrastructure projects, provide input regarding the impacts on agriculture of such projects.
• To recommend to the Town Board, Town Planning Board and/or other agencies techniques that will help preserve large, contiguous and economically viable tracts of agricultural land.
• To communicate with local farmers that the Agricultural Advisory Committee exists and can offer direction and assistance in many cases, invite their participation in Committee activities, and either directly or through interaction with other government agencies advise them of benefits and protections to which they are entitled.
• To facilitate the local presentation of educational programs by Cooperative Extension and other experts for farmers for the purposes of improving local farming practices and meeting the challenges the industry faces.
• To assist in minimizing conflicts between agricultural uses and adjacent and nearby rural residential and commercial activities.
• To encourage and assist applications to farmland preservation programs including but not limited to the New York State Purchase of Development Rights program, and, when such applications are submitted provide input into the review thereof.
• To encourage appropriate conservation strategies and agricultural activities.
• To study and comment on proposals by local, county, state or federal governments that may impact on local farms and farmlands.
• To recommend to the Town Board reasonable and desirable changes to this listing of responsibilities.
• To make an annual report to the Town Board setting forth and detailing the activities and operations of the committee during the preceding year.
• To accomplish any other tasks referred to it by the Town Board or other local agencies having to do with agricultural related activities.
