Schuyler County Idle Farmland Analysis. Conducted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County

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1 Schuyler County Idle Farmland Analysis Conducted by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Schuyler County June 15, 2010

2 Schuyler County Idle Farmland Analysis Purpose: The purpose of this analysis is to approximate the amount of fallow land in Schuyler County. 1 Method: 1. 5 sample points were placed in each of the three county agriculture districts. (Map 1) The placement of each point was determined by asking a series of questions: 1. Where in each agriculture district is there a large number of contiguous farm parcels? 2. Do the locations of these points represent each part of the County? That is, is there a point in the north, east, south and west part of the County? This was done to get as close to a representative sample as possible. 2. Parcels within 0.5 miles of the dropped points were highlighted and analyzed. (Map 2) Once the parcels were selected, the areas around them were viewed to make sure that the selected parcels accurately reflected the area they were representing. 3. Each sample area was analyzed for fallow land using high resolution aerial imagery and a GIS measuring tool. (Map 3 7) (Appendix 1) The aerial was taken in May It should be noted that depending on the time of the year, the lands can look different, which means that the analysis could be biased. It should also be noted that differing interpretations of what constitutes idle farmland and differing interpretations of what is being seen on the aerial imagery can lead to skewed results. 4. All fallow parcels identified in Step 4 were visited and fallow acreage numbers were adjusted as needed. (Appendix 2) Parcels that were classified as fallow based on the analysis in Step 4 were visited to determine, if in fact, they were actually fallow. Based on the site visits, adjustments were made to the number of fallow acres calculated in Step 4. 1 Fallow land (which is an absence of agricultural activity) may be fallow for reasons other than lack of agricultural opportunities (e.g. hunting, recreation, privacy, speculation, etc.). 1

3 Results: Fallow land for the sample points ranged from 7% 17%. Agriculture District #1 East: 7% Agriculture District #2 East: 17% Agriculture District #3: 9% Agriculture District #1 West: 16% Agriculture District #2 West: 7% Combining the samples: Total acreage in the sample is: Total fallow land in the sample is: The percentage of fallow land in the sample is: 11% Based on this sample, it can be inferred that of the available farmland in Schuyler, an average of 11% may be fallow, but this amount can vary significantly depending on location. 2

4 Map 1: Sample Points Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#1 West AgD#1 East AgD#2 West AgD#2 East AgD#3 Legend Sample Points Agriculture District #1 Agriculture District #2 Agriculture District #3 Schuyler County Boundary Parcels Water Body ± Miles

5 Map 2: Highlighted Parcels Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#1 West AgD#1 East AgD#2 West AgD#2 East AgD#3 Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Agriculture District #1 Agriculture District #2 Agriculture District #3 Schuyler County Boundary Water Body Parcels ± Miles

6 Map 3: Agriculture District #1 East Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#1 East Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Water Body ± Miles

7 Map 4: Agriculture District #1 West Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#1 West Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Water Body ± Miles

8 Map 5: Agriculture District #2 East Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#2 East Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Water Body ± Miles

9 Map 6: Agriculture District #2 West Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#2 West Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Water Body ± Miles

10 Map 7: Agriculture District #3 Map Created By: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Schuyler County Date: April 2010 Date Sources: CUGIR, U.S. Census AgD#3 Legend Sample Points Highlighted Parcels Water Body ± Miles

11 Appendix 1 AgD#1 East Parcel ID Total Acres Fallow Acres % Fallow % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Total %

12 AgD#1 West Parcel ID Total Acres Fallow Acres % Fallow % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Total %

13 AgD#2 East Parcel ID Total Acres Fallow Acres % Fallow % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Total %

14 AgD#2 West Parcel ID Total Acres Fallow Acres % Fallow % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Total %

15 AgD#3 Parcel ID Total Acres Fallow Acres % Fallow % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % %

16 % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Total %

17 Appendix 2 The following pictures show some of the parcels that were visited. The following parcel was classified as fallow: The following parcels were classified as active:

PPT Slide. Slide 1 of 32. Notes:

PPT Slide. Slide 1 of 32. Notes: Slide 1 of 32 This presentaion will describe the background of establishing an agricultural district in Westchester County and how GIS was used to map the district. file:///volumes/web/www/ce/conferences/gis%20present/testfarm/sld001.htm[4/6/11