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Delavan Lake watershed receives countys first Agricultural Enterprise Area designation; 11 landowners and about 9,000 acres included
Summary
DATCP granted designation for Delavan Lake watershed Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA). The AEA covers just over 9,000 acres across multiple towns and municipalities and gives landowners the option to enter 10-year farmland preservation agreements with tax credits for soil-health practices.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has granted an Agricultural Enterprise Area (AEA) designation to land in the Delavan Lake watershed, county staff told the Walworth County Land Conservation Committee on Jan. 20. The designation covers just over 9,000 acres and was petitioned by 11 landowners; county staff assisted in preparing the petition.
Staff said the AEA designation does not restrict land use by itself but enables landowners who choose to participate to enter farmland preservation agreements with DATCP. Those agreements are 10 years in length and, when combined with county farmland preservation zoning, can increase per-acre tax credits for participating landowners. Staff described the designation as a tool to encourage soil-health practices and to reduce nonpoint-source runoff—factors tied to erosion and phosphorus loading in Delavan Lake.
County staff said they notified each political subdivision included in the boundary and obtained acknowledgement pages from the town and municipal governments affected during the petition process. The approved AEA boundary includes portions of the towns of Delavan and Geneva, parts of the town of Walworth, parts of the Village of Fontana extraterritorial zoning area, and areas within the City of Elkhorn.
Staff identified Katie as the county point of contact for landowners interested in pursuing a farmland preservation agreement through DATCP. Staff said the county has not mandated participation; landowners may contact county staff if they wish to enter agreements and claim tax credits. The committee called the designation a milestone: county staff said this is the first AEA granted in Walworth County and noted there are now 51 AEAs statewide covering about 1.6 million acres.
Committee members recalled past public concern about AEAs but said outreach and adjustments to AEA rules helped make this petition successful. Staff credited county employees and the petitioning landowners for completing the application and moving the designation through the DATCP process.
