Setting the table for farm based businesses

1. 1
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

2. 2
• Panel Introduction
• Overview (15
minutes)
• Panel Discussion (30
minutes)
• Interactive Question
and Answer Session
(30 minutes)
Agenda

3. 3
• 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

4. 4
• On-farm recreation
• Corn mazes
• Hayrides
• Petting zoos
• Harvest festivals
• Horse boarding and riding
Expansion of Traditional
Agricultural Accessory Uses

5. 5
• Breweries, distilleries, and
wineries
• Restaurants & tasting rooms
• Farm to table dinners
• Production tours
“Foodie” Accessory
Agricultural Uses

6. 6
• 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

7. 7
• 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

8. 8
• 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

9. 9
• 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

10. 10
• 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

11. 11
• 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

12. 12
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

13. 13
• 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

14. 14
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?

15. 15
How can agricultural tourism assist with sustaining
active, locally-owned farms?
Question (Emily)

16. 16
Question (Michael)
What are some of the barriers you encountered in
seeking approvals?
What was something that worked well?

17. 17
Question (Matt)
What are some work-arounds to permitting issues
that you have found in Massachusetts?

18. 18
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

19. 19
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?

20. 20
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).

21. 21
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.

22. 22
Question (Emily)
Have you come across other innovative not-for-
profits successfully partnering with agricultural
uses?

23. 23
Which states and/or communities are at the forefront
of agricultural planning and sustainability?
Question (Michael)

24. 24
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)

25. 25
Questions?