Appleton Post-Crescent (02/07/07)
Traditionally, Wisconsin farmers have had two choices when retiring: sell the land to another farmer or sell to a developer for about five times more. Now, though, the state is looking at the "purchase of development rights" program that has had some success in such places as Lancaster, Pa. PDR programs will be one of the main topics of discussion at the "Growing Wisconsin: A Workshop on How to Sustain Our Working Lands" event. The land-use conference will be held Feb. 27 at Liberty Hall in Kimberly, Wis. The main goal of a PDR program is to marry economic development and farmland preservation. Waupaca County University of Wisconsin-Extension community development educator Mike Koles states, "Economic development goes hand in hand with agriculture, especially in a state like Wisconsin. Any time you start to inefficiently use farmland, you are starting to lose that economic leg."
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