Cherokee County offers tax incentives for organic farming

[4dsc]

A step in the right direction, especially for Iowa.. Perhaps this should be a state goal..

http://siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/09/20/news/local/54322a2cf28dd753862571ef000a6c3a.txt

The Cherokee County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday became the second county in the United States to offer farmers property tax incentives to convert to organic farming practices.

The Organics Conversion Policy will provide up to 100 percent of county tax levy relief annually for up to five years to growers who convert from conventional to organic farming practices and become certified organic farmers. The policy is designed to promote the return of smaller farms and provide options for diversity in agricultural practices.

The policy is similar to one enacted in Woodbury County in 2005.

"Our goal is to encourage agriculture and its diverse practices and to make it possible for the new farmers to get started or to come into an existing operation without a huge cash outlay for the number of acres required in conventional farming, and yet allowing them to realize the same amount of profitability," said Mark Buschkamp, executive director of Cherokee Area Economic Development Corporation, which guided the plan with the county board. "We hope for more people living on the land, more people in our county and more kids in our schools."

[madrchsod]

1. wow...my mother was born and raised near albert city

in buena vista county. that is really a step in the right direction out there on the rolling plains.