WHEREAS, the Bean Family Farm on Spring St. in Florence, MA represents important farming history for our community, having been farmed continuously since pre-colonial times, WHEREAS, the soil type on the majority of this property meets the USDA requirements to be considered prime farmland defined as "land that is best suited to producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops. It has the soil quality, growing season, and moisture supply needed to economically produce a sustained high yield of crops when it is treated and managed using acceptable farming methods. Prime farmland produces the highest yields with minimal inputs of energy and economic resources, and farming it results in the least damage to the environment," WHEREAS, the converging crises of climate change, global resource depletion, and economic instability indicate need to protect our community's food security by strengthening our local food production, WHEREAS, there is increasing demand for food grown in our region, and locally produced food keeps money in our local economy and improves our health, WHEREAS, the Sustainable Northampton Plan establishes as a target "maintaining farmland area" in the City, WHEREAS, the Northampton Agriculture Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Bean property continue to be farmed, THEREFORE, as citizens of Northampton, we urge the City to maintain farming as the primary use of the Bean property, and to put this farmland in permanent agricultural preservation.

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