Town Designates Important Local Soils

field in Lebanon, Connecticut (NRCS photo -- click to enlarge)

The Town of Lebanon has become the first municipality in Connecticut to officially recognize and designate local important farmland soils.

“Identification of important farmland soils is useful in the management and maintenance of the resource base that supports the productive capacity of American agriculture,” said Connecticut NRCS State Conservationist Margo L. Wallace.  “The designation will help guide the future of Lebanon and provide a tool in the effort to preserve the extensive agricultural lands characterizing the town.”

“Lebanon contains the greatest amount of active farmland in the State of Connecticut and the only working/farmed town green in the State,” said Lebanon First Selectman Joyce Okonuk.  “Lebanon is making every effort to assure the preservation of our agricultural resources and heritage,” Okonuk said.

Farmland classification identifies soil map units as prime farmland, statewide important farmland, or local important farmland. Prime farmland is land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and that is available for these uses.  Statewide important farmland is land, in addition to prime farmland, that on a statewide scale, economically produces high yields of crops when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods.  Local important farmland is additional farmland of local concern, useful for the production of food, feed, fiber, and forage even though these lands are not identified as having national or statewide importance.  Inventories of important farmland soils do not constitute a designation of any land area to a specific land use.

Local important farmland soils must be identified and officially recognized by local officials and NRCS.  The list of all important farmland soils (prime, statewide important, and local important) in Connecticut are identified in the NRCS in the Field Office Technical Guide.
Your contact is Carolyn Miller, NRCS public affairs specialist, at 860- 871-4029.