BRODHEAD — There will be a meeting at 1 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Decatur Town Hall, 1408 14th Street, Brodhead for interested parties to form an Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) and petition the state for designation in 2026. Discussion on the rough draft of the petition will be needed as well as public input on the boundaries of the AEA.

Green County Land and Water Conservation Department is working with Decatur Township to put together a petition. It has many parts — narratives on why it’s needed or wanted, the history of the area, signed petitions from landowners in the area in favor of it, written support from businesses that rely on and support agriculture and a map showing exactly what parcels are in and outside of the AEA. The delineation, at this time, is proposed to be in Decatur Township plus a mile to half a mile buffer outside the township in Green County, effecting extreme edges of Albany, Sylvester, Jefferson and Spring Grove Townships. The residential areas of Decatur Township will be excluded from the AEA.

An AEA needs to be created in order for landowners within the area to enroll into a Farmland Preservation Agreement and be eligible for a tax credit of $10 per acre. The Farmland Preservation Program is a tool for landowners looking to preserve their farmland as such into the future. Agreements are for ten years at a time. Participants in FPP agree to voluntarily meet state soil and water conservation standards in exchange for tax credits.  

Interested landowners are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting. If unable to attend, reach out to Ron Schwartzlow at 608-897-4441 or Tonya Gratz with the Green County LWCD at 608-426-2218. The more public participation in this process the stronger the petition will be.