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Berkley Agricultural Commission advances plan to map soils, seek NRCS sign-off
Summary
Commission member Ed Harmon outlined a plan to designate farmland and check soil types (including 61A parcels) so the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service can review and the state can accept soils identified as important; members discussed GIS mapping and next steps.
Ed Harmon, a member of the Berkley Agricultural Commission, reported progress Nov. 7 on a townwide soil review intended to identify soils the commission might designate as “important” for agricultural protection.
Harmon told the commission he reviewed materials presented by Mr. Murray at a prior meeting and noted Dartmouth’s inventory of 16 important soils but said he found no fixed limit on how many soils a town can declare important. He said some soil types carry slope classifications that restrict tilling at particular grades; those slopes can make land suitable only for lower-impact farming such as hay production or orchards to limit erosion.
Harmon recommended first designating which parcels are farmland or classified under Chapter 61A, then using soil maps to determine their soil types. Once the commission compiles proposed parcels and soil data, Harmon said someone at the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would review the submission and sign off; the state must then accept the soils as meeting the “important soils” criteria.
Commission members discussed how to locate and document candidate parcels. Harry Harmon suggested creating a GIS overlay to match 61A parcels with soil types. Lisa Tetreault said she would contact town staff to request a cost estimate for that mapping. Ed Harmon said he still intends to visit the USDA office in Taunton to follow up and will provide Tetreault with a link to the soils map he used.
George Faria, who called the meeting to order, reminded the commission that the state ultimately must accept any soils the commission designates as important, so the commission should be prepared for NRCS and state review before finalizing designations.
Next steps identified by the commission include: assembling a list of 61A and farmland parcels for review, pursuing a GIS overlay to speed mapping, Ed Harmon’s planned visit to the USDA office in Taunton, and Tetreault obtaining a town estimate for GIS assistance. The commission will continue the item at its next meeting on Nov. 21, 2024.
