(1) By January 1, 2016, a county shall adopt a farmland preservation plan that does all of the following: (a) States the county’s policy related to farmland preservation and agricultural development, including the development of enterprises related to agriculture. (b) Identifies, describes, and documents other development trends, plans, or needs, that may affect farmland preservation and agricultural development in the county, including trends, plans, or needs related to population and economic growth, housing, transportation, utilities, communications, business development, community facilities and services, energy, waste management, municipal expansion, and environmental preservation. (c) Identifies, describes, and documents all of the following: 1. Agricultural uses of land in the county at the time that the farmland preservation plan is adopted, including key agricultural specialities, if any. 2. Key agricultural resources, including available land, soil, and water resources. 3. Key infrastructure for agriculture, including key processing, storage, transportation, and supply facilities. 4. Significant trends in the county related to agricultural land use, agricultural production, enterprises related to agriculture, and the conversion of agricultural lands to other uses. 5. Anticipated changes in the nature, scope, location, and focus of agricultural production, processing, supply, and distribution. 6. Goals for agricultural development in the county, including goals related to the development of enterprises related to agriculture. 7. Actions that the county will take to preserve farmland and to promote agricultural development. 7m. Policies, goals, strategies, and proposed actions to increase housing density in areas that are not identified under par. (d). 8. Key land use issues related to preserving farmland and to promoting agricultural development and plans for addressing those issues. (d) Clearly identifies areas that the county plans to preserve for agricultural use and agriculture-related uses, which may include undeveloped natural resource and open space areas but may not include any area that is planned for nonagricultural development within 15 years after the date on which the plan is adopted. (dm) Describes the rationale used to determine which areas to identify under par. (d). (e) Includes maps that clearly delineate all areas identified under par. (d), so that a reader can easily determine whether a parcel is within an identified area. (f) Clearly correlates the maps under par. (e) with text that describes the types of land uses planned for each area on a map. (g) Identifies programs and other actions that the county and local governmental units within the county may use to preserve the areas identified under par. (d). (2) If the county has a comprehensive plan, the county shall include the farmland preservation plan in its comprehensive plan and shall ensure that the farmland preservation plan is consistent with the comprehensive plan. The county may incorporate information contained in other parts of the comprehensive plan into the farmland preservation plan by reference. (3) To adopt a farmland preservation plan under sub. (1), a county shall follow the procedures under s. 66.1001 (4) for the adoption of a comprehensive plan. (4) The department may provide information and assistance to a county in developing a farmland preservation plan under sub. (1). (5) A county shall notify the department before the county holds a public hearing on a proposed farmland preservation plan under sub. (1) or on any amendment to a farmland preservation plan. The county shall include a copy of the proposed farmland preservation plan or amendment in the notice. The department may review and comment on the plan or amendment. (6) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.115 (7) (dm) or (tm), the department may award a planning grant to a county to provide reimbursement for up to 50 percent of the county’s cost of preparing a farmland preservation plan required under sub. (1). In determining priorities for awarding grants under this subsection, the department shall consider the expiration dates for plan certification under s. 91.14. (b) The department shall enter into a contract with a county to which it awards a planning grant under par. (a) before the department distributes any grant funds to the county. In the contract, the department shall identify the costs that are eligible for reimbursement through the grant. (c) The department may distribute grant funds under this subsection only after the county shows that it has incurred costs that are eligible for reimbursement under par. (b). The department may not distribute more than 50 percent of the amount of a grant under this subsection for a farmland preservation plan before the county submits the farmland preservation plan for certification under s. 91.16.
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