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Date: 3/29/2023
WARE — The Selectboard hosted a public hearing on March 21 to consider recommending a proposed Right to Farm bylaw draft for vote at the upcoming Annual Town Meeting.
The bylaw’s intended purpose is to “encourage the pursuit of agriculture, promote agriculture-based economic opportunities, and protect farmlands” within all jurisdictional areas in town, according to the bylaw draft. The draft provided a definition of what a farm would be considered — “any parcel or contiguous parcels of land, or water bodies used for the primary purpose of commercial agriculture, or accessory thereto” — and outlined the activities considered to be farming or agriculture.
Some of the main activities considered to be farming or agriculture within the bylaw are “production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural, aquacultural, floricultural, viticultural, or horticultural commodities,” for example growing vegetables, forestry and the growing and harvesting of forest products, the growing of hemp, operation of “slow-moving” farm equipment on public roads, any pest management needed, and potential agricultural tourism.
These activities “may occur on holidays, weekdays, and weekends by night or day and shall include the attendant incidental noise, odors, dust, and fumes associated with normally accepted agricultural practices,” according to the draft. . The full list of activities and the bylaw can be obtained through Director of Planning and Community Development, Rob Watchilla, at rwatchilla@townofware.com.
The draft also states that “whatever impact may be caused to others through the normal practice of agriculture is more than offset by the benefits of farming to the neighborhood, community, and society in general.” Ware follows several local towns, including neighboring Hardwick, in seeking to adopt this bylaw and support local agricultural efforts as well as potentially draw more farming to the town.
Watchilla said the bylaw “was supported by local farmers and Chapter 61A property owners,” based on information from a survey Watchilla conducted in 2021. Watchilla also said the bylaw “will mostly spell out how to handle disputes between farmers and abutting neighbors, and the procedures on how to come to a resolution. It also declares that Ware is a Right to Farm community and that we support agricultural practices and activities in the town of Ware.” The bylaw draft was recommended to a vote at the Annual Town Meeting by the Selectboard.