Agricultural Districts

2024 Dutchess County Agricultural District Annual Inclusion

The open enrollment period for the 2024 Dutchess County Agricultural District Annual Inclusion has begun and will close on Thursday, May 14th at 12:00 AM. 

To fill out an application to enroll in the Dutchess County Agricultural District, please click this link.

We encourage you to submit your application online using the link to above to directly submit your application online. It is the fastest and most efficient way for you to submit your application.

*Please Note* 
Landowners whose parcels are already included in Agricultural District 21 are not required to apply as part of the annual inclusion process. You can check to see if your parcel is in the district here: https://gis.dutchessny.gov/ag-districts/

 

A hardcopy of the worksheet can be obtained from Cornell Cooperative Extension at the Farm and Home Center located at 2715 Route 44 in Millbrook, NY, or if you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the Dutchess County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board at dutchessafpb@gmail.com or call the Dutchess County Soil & Water Conservation District office at (845) 677-8011 ext. 3.

Dutchess County Agricultural Districts

The purpose of agricultural districting is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production. The Program is based on a combination of landowner incentives and protections, all of which are designed to forestall the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses. Included in these benefits are preferential real property tax treatment (agricultural assessment and special benefit assessment), and protections against overly restrictive local laws, government funded acquisition or construction projects, and private nuisance suits involving agricultural practices.

One of the most important benefits of the Agricultural Districts Program is the opportunity provided farmland owners to receive real property assessments based on the value of their land for agricultural production rather than on its development value. Farmers receiving agricultural assessment collectively save over $70 million annually throughout NYS. The Division administers the Land Classification System, including maintenance of the statewide master list of agricultural soils. This system provides the basic soils information needed to calculate agricultural assessments for individual farms.

Dutchess County has four Agricultural Districts. There are over 5,000 parcels of land in the four districts. If you would like to determine if a parcel is in the Ag District, please call our office and leave a message:845-605-2075.

Last updated April 15, 2024