"Preservation of the renowned landscape surrounding Lexington is also preservation of an economic driver that is ever changing but true to its rural roots, according to the director of Lexington's Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) program.
"We're looking at farmland as a basis for the future in what types of agriculture that we're going to have," said Billy Van Pelt, director of the PDR program. "We keep hearing more about Alltech and things that are being done with bio-refineries, and their first bio-refinery is going to open in Washington County, and that's going to use farmland for feed, fuel and food.
"Agriculture is an evolving industry, and we need to have that base of land ready for agriculture today, 50 years from now, and 100 years from now," Van Pelt said, following a press conference marking the 20,000th acre to come into the PDR program since it began nearly eight years ago.
The 20,000-acre milestone marked 40 percent of the PDR program's mandated goal of 50,000 acres by 2020. Van Pelt takes pride in the pace of efforts to preserve Lexington's scenic backdrop. But there are more interested farmers than the city can afford to take into the program that allows farmers' to work their fields as usual, but permanently bars development on the covered acreage.
"Our current challenge," according to Margaret Graves, chair of the Fayette County Rural Land Management Board that oversees PDR, "is to meet the demand from farmers eager to participate in the program. We currently have 49 farms in the pipeline, representing 2,735 acres, and more farmers are expected to apply in January. To buy easements from these farmers who have already applied for the program would require an additional $6.8 million."
So far the city has invested $21.6 million in the program, and it has received $26.9 million in local, state and federal grants, allowing it to protect 20,165 acres on parts of 174 farms. Of those properties, 92 are equine farms, 67 are general agriculture farms and 15 are in a general classification that includes historic and wooded property.
These funds are critical to protecting more than just Lexington's brand of rolling hills of bluegrass, Graves said during the press conference. The PDR program is a matter of economic vitality, she said.
"We have conserved the factory floor of three critical industries in Fayette County: ag, equine and tourism. Collectively these three industries contribute more than $3 billion to our regional economy every year," she said.
One of the agricultural industries that often flies under the radar in a region famous for its world-class Thoroughbreds is cattle, according to Knox van Nagell, executive director of the Fayette Alliance.
"Kentucky's now ranked the highest beef-producing state east of the Mississippi River, and the third largest in the United States. And we've got the Bluegrass Stockyards here in Fayette County, so the cattle industry is a vital part of our agriculture industry here," she said.
The reason for the success of cattle, van Nagell said, is the ground the livestock lives on. "It is all about the soil. One day you can raise cattle and the next day you can raise horses on this amazing farm land, and it is all about the soil and this irreplaceable landscape and forage that we have here in Fayette County."
Once developed, van Nagell said, there is no way the ground can be returned to fertile soil suitable for raising livestock on the level of prize horses and cattle.
Todd Johnson, executive vice president of the Home Builder's Association of Lexington, said though the county must protect its historic landscape, it also needs to make sure the county can provide land for the homes of future residents. "Although we are definitely in favor of preserving parts of Fayette County that are unique and vital to our tourism and equine industry, the one thing that we'd like and expect to see is for that not to get in the way of land for providing housing for future citizens of Fayette County," he said.
Striking a balance between growth and preserving the unique and revenue-generating land of Fayette County is a difficult task Mayor Jim Newberry said.
"It is never an easy debate, but it is a vitally important one for us to have," Newberry said.
"It helps us to preserve what makes the Bluegrass special. We have something the rest of the world would love to have, and we best not squander it," he said. "Kentucky's agricultural industry is enormous; the Central Kentucky cattle industry is huge. It has in large measure allowed a lot of folks who were relying on tobacco to stay on the farm.
"We need to, as a community, recognize the fact that our general agriculture farms are important assets, and they need to be preserved just like our horse farms do," the mayor added.
The importance of Lexington's agriculture isn't lost on Urban County Councilman Ed Lane, a developer and business magazine publisher by trade. "Agribusiness is a major component of Fayette County's economy," he said during the press conference. "In calendar year 2005, Fayette was ranked as the second highest Kentucky county in farm receipts, a total of over $354 million. Fayette County is also a live animal market venue with sales approaching over $1 billion a year."
Johnson said the home builders association membership has had a seat at the PDR table since its establishment eight years ago and will continue to participate, but apprehension over the long-term effects of development restrictions leave the HBA in a "neutral" stance on the program in general.
Asked whether he thinks the program's 50,000-acre goal favors certain industries while placing his own at risk, he said, "It is hard to say. It is easy to say probably not in the near future, but long term — many years down the road — nobody can predict that."
But van Nagell, whose family farm has 25 acres in the PDR and 1,000 in the Bluegrass Conservancy, said it is important to protect and preserve one of Lexington's most distinguishing characteristics.
"It's an extremely popular program, and it's such a benefit to the community, not only to the farmerbecause this is part of our brand and who we are. It is the community's asset," she said. "