Setting the table for farm based businesses

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Ashley Ley, AICP Technical Director, AKRF

Matt Smith Technical Director, AKRF

Emily Simoness Executive Director SPACE on Ryder Farm

Michael T. Liguori, Esq. Partner, Hogan and Rossi, Esqs.

Thomas LaPerch, Chairman Town of Southeast Planning Board

Setting the Table for Farm Based Businesses

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• Panel Introduction• Overview (15

minutes)• Panel Discussion (30

minutes)• Interactive Question

and Answer Session (30 minutes)

Agenda

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• Farm stands & specialty markets• Farm-grown produce• Baked goods using farm grown

produce• “Pick-your-own”• Farmers’ Markets• Community Supported Agriculture

(CSA)

Traditional Accessory Agricultural Uses

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• On-farm recreation• Corn mazes• Hayrides• Petting zoos

• Harvest festivals• Horse boarding and riding

Expansion of Traditional Agricultural Accessory Uses

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• Breweries, distilleries, and wineries

• Restaurants & tasting rooms• Farm to table dinners• Production tours

“Foodie” Accessory Agricultural Uses

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• Artist retreats• Educational programs• Special event spaces (e.g.

weddings)• Live music (e.g. outdoor concerts

where visitors can purchase farm-made picnic dinners)

Fresh Agricultural Accessory Uses

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• Indirect and induced economic benefits• Suppliers, worker spending, etc.

• Local business support and growth (visitors)

• Restaurants, local retail, etc.• Tax revenue growth

• Property tax, meals and lodging taxes, etc.• Increased investment

• Agriculture cluster, marketing/branding, etc.

Agriculture as an Economic Driver

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• Home rule• Zoning not keeping up with trends• Narrow definition of “farming”• Minimum lot size for farming

• Problematic for new start-ups and existing farms on undersized lots.

Common Zoning Hurdles

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• Maximum areas for accessory uses• Could affect farm’s ability to use existing structures

such as a barn• Maybe too small to accommodate larger farming

operation• May not accommodate distillery or brewery uses

Common Zoning Hurdles

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• Prohibiting or limiting sale of off-farm products• Consider limiting to regionally grown/produced

products as opposed to on-farm. This allows local farmers/producers to cross sell each other’s products.

Common Zoning Hurdles

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• Establishing percentage of finished product to be comprised of farm-grown ingredients

• Particular concern for breweries and distilleries• Consider limiting to regionally grown ingredients as

opposed to on-farm

Common Zoning Hurdles

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In many cases traditional farming alone is not economically sustainable.

Is your community willing to accept reasonable accommodations for seasonal traffic and other temporary impacts to retain the farm and the open space?

Community Values

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• Special permits for accessory activities• Controls on event timeframes/hours of operation

• Special Event Permits• Establish traffic and parking plans• Establish plan for sanitary services

• Local building department/fire inspector review for health and safety (e.g. temporary structures, ingress/egress)

• Local health department review (e.g. concessions, sanitary facilities, drinking water, etc.)

Methods of Addressing Community & Safety Concerns

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Question (Tom)What are some of the concerns that Planning Board members have raised regarding non-traditional uses of farm properties?

How has the Planning Board worked with the farm to address those concerns?

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How can agricultural tourism assist with sustaining active, locally-owned farms?

Question (Emily)

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Question (Michael)What are some of the barriers you encountered in seeking approvals?

What was something that worked well?

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Question (Matt)What are some work-arounds to permitting issues that you have found in Massachusetts?

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Question (Emily)What complimentary uses are a good fit for agricultural uses (e.g. restaurants, inns/spas, bed and breakfasts)?

• Ancillary uses community based• Large event focal centers

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Question (Michael)In many areas, the number of active farms are down. However, the demand for local products seems to be increasing.

What are some strategies you have encountered for addressing this discrepancy as a local attorney?

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Question (Matt)What would make starting, operating and sustaining a agricultural/food biz more efficient and cost effective?

Any best practices?

Are there untapped markets or growth markets (e.g. Hops) or as has been the case in NY, dairy (i.e. Greek yogurt craze).

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Question (Tom)Local partnerships, either with institutions or governments, can lead to innovative marketing and promotion of farm based businesses.

Tell us about some of the successful partnerships in Southeast.

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Question (Emily)Have you come across other innovative not-for-profits successfully partnering with agricultural uses?

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Which states and/or communities are at the forefront of agricultural planning and sustainability? 

Question (Michael)

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Question (Matt/Emily)What strategies have assisted local agricultural/local food to bring their product to market?

• CSA• Farmers Market• Farm Stand• Sourcing product to local restaurants• Prepared meal delivery services (e.g. HelloFresh,

Blue Apron)• Farm to table dinners (sourced from local farms)

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Questions?