The 2024 Agricultural Enterprise Area — AEA — petition cycle is in full swing. The deadline is Aug. 2.
Petitions materials for new designation and modification to existing AEAs are available now: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/AEAPetitionInfo.aspx
An AEA designation provides tools to support farmland protection, conservation, and the local farm economy. Landowners in an AEA can participate in the farmland preservation program through a voluntary 10-year farmland preservation agreements. A minimum of five landowners and their local governments must file a petition jointly. A petition may take months to prepare to gather information and engage local landowners.
Are you preparing your petition and need help creating the map? Do you want to put together a petition writing workshop? Do you want to host a public meeting for potential petitioners? DATCP can help. Send them an email at DATCPWorkingLands@wisconsin.gov.
If you’d like feedback before you submit your petition to the review committee, DATCP is offering a preliminary review of any petition before the Aug. 2 deadline. Please email your petition to DATCPWorkingLands@wisconsin.gov, and indicate in the email that you are interested in a preliminary review by DATCP staff.
Earlier this month, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill that makes changes to farmland preservation agreements minimum term lengths and increasing farmland preservation tax credits for all current participants. These changes are now in effect and will affect tax credit claims beginning tax year 2023.
