The state will hold joint virtual hearings on Jan. 21 for three bills intended to help Massachusetts farmers. Two would provide some form of tax relief and the third would move an annual filing deadline so it will no longer coincide with the harvest season. At its Jan. 18 meeting, the Select Board voted to support all three bills, and Chair Stu Sklar will attend the hearings to testify on behalf of Harvard’s farmers.
Agricultural Advisory Commission Chair Kerri Green told the board that Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states in the country to farm because of high land values and property taxes. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Land Values Summary for 2021, Massachusetts ranks third highest in the country for farm real estate value—$13,700 per acre. Rhode Island is the highest with $16,400 per acre and New Jersey is second at $14,400 per acre. Massachusetts values are also increasing faster than other states. From 2020 to 2021, farm acreage values went up a whopping 21.2%, nearly double the increase of the second highest state, Nebraska.
Bill 1833 would provide a tax exemption for structures necessary to an agricultural business’s operations, but only for those built or renovated after July 1, 2015. The exemptions would apply only to structures on land classified as agricultural chapter land, which is valued at a lower rate for tax purposes, and they would expire in 10 years.
Green told the board the bill is not particularly helpful in Harvard, where she knew of only two structures that would qualify—a barn built last year at the Harvard Alpaca Ranch and the winterized farm stand recently built at Doe Orchards. She added that it doesn’t help Harvard’s generational farms whose structures are typically older. Select Board member Kara Minar asked if the town could create a home-rule petition that would move the 2015 date back so the exemption would help more agricultural businesses in Harvard. Chair Stu Sklar said the board could discuss that option if the bill passes.
The second tax-relief bill, 3059, would loosen the qualifications for agricultural chapter land. Currently, the minimum amount of land required to apply for chapter status is 5 contiguous acres. This bill would allow the acreage to be noncontiguous, provided it lies within the same municipality and is within 10 miles of other acreage in the parcel.
Bill 3061 would move the agricultural chapter land filing date from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1. Green said October is a busy time of year for most agricultural businesses, especially Harvard’s orchards. This bill would give farmers time to wrap up the season and meet the filing deadline each year. “Not everybody has an office manager to do paperwork,” Green told the board.
