St. Mary’s Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a law change Tuesday that further guarantees county landowner’s right to farm their property.
The changes approved specifically say landowners have the right to farm their properties, and it adds clarification on what are allowed agriculture activities and sets up a mitigation procedure for complaints about farming.
Land Use Director Denis Canavan said the changes “expand on those provisions already included, to protect farming.”
The previous existing law stated forestry and timbering, known as “silviculture,” was an exception to the right-to-farm law. Canavan said planning staff suggested removing that exception.
“The fact of the matter is, timber is a crop” said Commissioner Dan Raley (D-Great Mills), adding that timbering within the 1,000 Critical Area buffer still requires extra approval from the state.
At a public hearing last week, a parade of supporters addressed the Board in support of the law changes. One man, Bryan Siebert of Scotland, was not as excited about the easing of timbering laws.
Siebert spoke in opposition at the Aug. 22 meeting of the St. Mary’s Planning Commission, and submitted a long written statement about the environmental dangers of logging.
Siebert chastised the Board for already deciding the issue without discussion the environmental dangers in timbering.
The Board did not discuss Siebert’s concerns last week, or this week when approving the changes.
Included in the changes is a new chapter in county law, chapter 254, which create a mitigation board for farming-related complaints. 254 also includes a section that states land transfers from now on are required to include a notice stating everyone has the right to farm their land.
The mitigation procedure is designed as an arena to settle disputes before going to the county circuit court. Canavan said the mitigation issues could include complaints about odors or trespassing against farmers, or brought by farmers against people who trespass or steal crops.
The law states the Board will create a mitigation committee consisting of two members from the agriculture community, one representing forestry, one representing real estate, and one at large member. The lack of an environmental representative was another point of contention raised by Siebert.
Commissioner Larry Jarboe (R-Golden Beach), who happens to be in the lumber business, said the law should include a amendment that “recognizes the farmer’s right to collect subsidy and not to farm.”
Canavan said it would be best to approve the changes, and go back for a separate amendment that Jarboe suggested.