Reaching Out

Successful Northeast farming, forestry and fishing businesses work within their communities to create dialog and understanding on both sides of the fence.

Being a good neighbor makes sense for every business, but especially for those who depend largely upon natural resources to harvest, produce and sell their commodities. Without the support of neighbors and the community, business growth and economic success for Northeast farming, fishing and forest industries can be difficult.

As technological innovation and competitive pressures drive market sectors forward, community attitudes are often deciding factors regarding business expansion. With effective outreach and commitment to “good neighbor” policies, business success is far more likely.

Let’s look at examples of how, individually and collectively, farmers, foresters and fishermen can help make it happen. If community relations are likely to influence your business growth, keep these scenarios in mind. The principles behind them might make the difference between wholehearted support for your efforts or unnecessary conflict that may hinder business growth.   

Furthering an ag heritage for generations to come  

Back in the 1800s, young Abel D. Makepeace launched a cranberry operation on Cape Cod. His focus was agricultural, but his vision extended way beyond his cranberry bogs. Along the way, he created new jobs, used environmental resources wisely and maintained the goodwill of surrounding communities.

Six generations later, his entrepreneurial vision still guides the A.D. Makepeace Company. With over 12,000 acres, including 1,750 acres of cranberry bogs, the company is one of the largest private landowners in Massachusetts ... and it is still growing, to the point where the family recently recognized that a new set of leadership skills was needed to sustain the business for future generations. This led to the appointment of Michael Hogan as president and chief executive, the first nonfamily member to serve in those roles.

A former mayor of Marlborough, Mass., Hogan arrived with an impressive resume in public policy, local government and land use planning. Later, as head of the state’s economic development authority, he served in the cabinets of two governors where he sought solutions to help businesses compete globally.  

At Makepeace, Hogan oversees all operations, including cranberry production, real estate development, and sand and gravel operations. His vision for the family-owned company is to build on a variety of businesses by integrating them under one roof with agriculture.  

Hogan believes strongly that favorable rapport with neighbors is an essential ingredient for the long-term business success of Makepeace.  “Being a good neighbor  is being a good communicator,” Hogan says. “If you are farming and your neighbors don’t know why the helicopters are flying over the bogs it may lead to problems.” If you venture into something new such as construction and development, “communicate early and often with neighbors.”  

Hogan says, “We’re very optimistic about the future of the cranberry industry.” Thanks to increased cranberry prices and cash generated from its real estate and aggregate businesses, this year Makepeace renovated 75 acres of bogs with high producing hybrid vines and state-of-the-art automated irrigation and water-control systems. The company also purchased 150 acres of cranberry bogs.  

In addition, over the next decade, Makepeace plans to create mixed-use villages in three southeast Massachusetts towns that will include affordable homes and employment initiatives as well as farming initiatives.  

This is where the need to be a good neighbor is essential. Seeking to be a true environmental leader, the company is investigating renewable energy designs including solar heating, wind power and geothermal heating and cooling. A state grant will help Makepeace identify and implement environmentally responsible “green-building” technologies.  

Additionally, Hogan is working with the town of Plymouth to create a “preserve” and a traditional New England community on a 1,800-acre parcel. Residential development would be limited to 400 acres, with the balance kept as open space or farmland. 

The company supports its neighbors with financial commitments, too. Recently, it awarded Makepeace Neighborhood Fund grants totaling nearly $200,000 to local community organizations and municipal departments for education, environmental, housing, historic preservation and health care projects.  

Additional outreach efforts include bus tours and an annual two-day harvest festival that drew close to 6,000 visitors this year.  

Maine’s working waterfronts: Valuable, vulnerable  

Maine’s 10,300 fishermen face a different kind of challenge around their local communities.  

“Up and down the coast of Maine, there has been and continues to be development pressure on all waterfront land,” says Rob Horne, Farm Credit of Maine vice president. “Properties in many longtime traditional fishing harbors are being sold to developers or individual homeowners ‘from away,’ who then deny access to the water to others. Folks involved in traditional fishing industries are finding it difficult to compete with deep pockets when properties come on the market.”  

No state is more closely associated with its seacoast than Maine. Half of the state’s population lives near the coast, while over six million people visit coastal areas each year. The state’s fish and shellfish industries annually generate $740 million and employ about 26,000 people. Yet the fishing industry relies on just 25 miles of the state’s 5,300-mile coastline to access deep water where fishing boats tie up, load their bait, fuel and off-load their catch.  

Fortunately, in recent years, local communities have sought to increase public awareness of the importance of Maine’s working waterfront infrastructure. “The Working Waterfront Coalition and the Island Institute are in the forefront of getting word out to the public,” Rob says. “Farm Credit of Maine is a member of the coalition.”  

Recognizing that the “working waterfront” is as vulnerable as it is valuable, Maine voters overwhelmingly approved two tax relief bills and initiated a $2 million pilot program aimed at securing strategically significant working waterfront properties.  

“In addition to access, we are also addressing permanent access protection similar to what is employed in land conservation easements,” says Tim Glidden, director of Land for Maine’s Future (LMF). To date, LMF has protected nearly 200,000 acres of Maine’s prime natural areas.  

Public awareness of working waterfront issues is very important for day-to-day fishing operations. New neighbors expect to see fishing boats at work bobbing in the water, Rob says, but they may be in for surprises. “Similar to our farm customers, a typical working waterfront has its own particular smells, noises and activities, most of which do not blend well with suburbia. The two biggest culprits would be fishing bait by the barrel and trucks coming and going starting at 4 a.m.”  

For their part, many fishermen work hard to promote good relations with the general public by participating in events. One example is the Maine Fishermen’s Forum, an annual three-day conference that develops strategies to educate the public and the fishing industry about fishing and marine resource issues. i regarded as a waterfront.

Maine has had a working coast for more than 300 years. Residents and fishermen alike who cooperate with good neighbor practices ensure that the state’s working waterfront will continue to thrive in the decades ahead.  

Public efforts help sustain Maine’s forests  

Of course, fishing is just one part of Maine’s resource base. Forests blanket 90 percent of Maine, the highest percentage of any state in the country. Maine also claims the nation’s highest percentage of privately owned woodland. In terms of revenues, forestry is the state’s largest economic contributor, generating $5.7 billion of annual product value, and employing 32,000 people. Consider too that the state’s timberland also produces incalculable benefits related to biodiversity, watershed protection and outdoor recreation.

Maine residents have long recognized the importance of their forests, says John “Jack”Wadsworth, a licensed Maine forester and president of Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc., a forestry consulting and marketing firm. “Public opinion in Maine,”Wadsworth says, “caused the state to enact the Forest Practices Act.”

The law, enacted in 1989 and revised in 2004, encourages responsible sustainable forestry practices, good land aesthetics and watershed protection. This comes at a time when there have been substantial changes in the ownership of timberlands in Maine, which has been a concern of residents throughout the state.

Wadsworth further explains, “During the last 25 years, the aesthetics of logging have improved with the advent of whole tree harvesting. This method not only utilizes sawlogs and pulpwood, but also allows the chipping of treetops, limbs and small trees. The resulting timber stand is a cleaner site and more aesthetically pleasing than prior harvest techniques that left debris on site.”

Wadsworth notes that he and many other foresters volunteer their time to the American Tree Farm System, an organization that recognizes landowners who perform sustainable long-term forest management techniques.

Wadwsorth’s consulting firm communicates these and other efforts to the public by sponsoring educational booths at local fairs and forestry meetings. “For example,” he says, “each year we take our booth to the Fryeburg Fair. During this year’s event our foresters discussed forest management practices with over 2,000 landowners who inquired about our services.”  

Mass. farmers are proactive at the local level 

 “One of the biggest issues agriculture faces is dealing with its neighbors,” says Kent Lage, assistant commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR). “These people have never experienced agriculture and don’t understand the noise, dust and odd hours involved.”  

This is a common scenario when suburban growth encroaches upon territory that has been farmed, in some cases, for centuries. Massachusetts addresses the issue through town agricultural commissions (AgComs), a concept that is being adopted in other New England states as well. “AgComs are the voice of agriculture in local government,” Lage says. “They provide a format to begin a dialog and resolve neighborhood issues on a neighbor level.”  

AgComs work with other town boards to help resolve farm-related problems, protect farmland and assist with natural resource management. The effort has broad support from state and federal agencies and organizations. But the primary movers — and the people who make AgComs work — are farmers.  

Currently, 90 AgComs operate in Massachusetts, and one of the first was in the coastal community of Dartmouth. A decade after it was created, recognizing the importance of farms in their community, Dartmouth voters approved $2.75 million for a trust fund to preserve, support and revitalize agriculture.  

“This is evidence of the support that agriculture has at this time,” Lage says. “Rank-and-file people like having agriculture in their community. The support is there if you take it to a town meeting.”  

“I feel strongly that AgComs are critical to enhancing agriculture,” says Douglas P. Gillespie, MDAR commissioner. “Seldom is there such an opportunity for farmers to be proactive to ensure their future at the local level.”  

Creating opportunity  

We have cited just four examples here. Throughout the Northeast, there are hundreds of other situations in which successful farmers, fishermen and foresters reach out to their communities to create dialog and create win-win situations for both sides.

With these stories fresh in your mind, why not take inventory on your current “good neighbor” efforts? Reaching out today can create significant benefits tomorrow for your business, your neighbors and everyone in your community.

Contact us at info@farmcreditwny.com for more information.

 

© 1999-2006 Farm Credit of Western New York, ACA. All rights reserved.