Scoring values (Repealed)

The Commissioner of Agriculture shall use the following scoring values when considering applications for inclusion in the agricultural lands preservation program. A minimal total score of 65 points from subsections (a) to (e), inclusive, of this section, is required for consideration by the Commissioner. (a) PROBABILITY OF NON-AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND FLOOD HAZARD MITIGATION (maximum 10 points) (1) Estate settlement or planning 10 points (2) Active negotiations to sell property 5 points (3) Significant flood storage area in flood plain 10 points (b) CURRENT PRODUCTIVITY FROM OFFERED LAND AND LIKELIHOOD OF CONTINUED PRODUCTIVITY (maximum 40 points) Total cropland offered (check one) 0 – 4 acres 0 pts. 5 – 15 acres 4 pts. 16 – 25 acres 8 pts. 26 – 50 acres 12 pts. 51 – 75 acres 16 pts. more than 75 acres 20 pts. Crop yields per acre as determined by comparison of subject with state averages (check one) 33% or less 0 pts. 34 – 66% 4 pts. 66 – 84% 6 pts. 85% or more 10 pts. (c) SUITABILITY OF OFFERED LAND FOR AGRICULTURE (maximum 40 points) Quantity of land offered that are classified as prime and important farmland soils (check one) less than 30 acres 0 pts. 30 – 50 acres 5 pts. 50 – 75 acres 10 pts. 75 – 100 acres 15 pts. more than 100 acres 20 pts. Percentage of cropland in application that contains prime and important farmland soils (check one) 20% or less 0 pts. 21 – 40% 5 pts. 41 – 60% 10 pts. 61 – 80% 15 pts. 81% or more 20 pts. (d) PRESERVATION OF AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL OF STATE (maximum points 20) Method of marketing the commodities produced on the subject (check one) Regular contract or cooperative 10 pts. Regional market or delivery route 8 pts. Farmers market or consumer picking 6 pts. Lease of land to an agricultural producer 4 pts. Active farmland within a two mile radius (check one) 200 acres or less 0 pts. 201 – 300 acres 2 pts. 301 – 500 acres 4 pts. 501 – 800 acres 6 pts. 801 – 1000 acres 8 pts. more than 1000 acres 10 pts. Agricultural support services available to subject within a 30 mile radius (machinery, horticultural and livestock) (check one) Good-All Available 5 pts. Fair-Some Available 3 pts. Poor-None Available 0 pts. (e) NEGATIVE FACTORS INFLUENCING PRESERVATION (subtract points from total of all the categories above) Maximum negative points 10. Surrounding properties intensively developed 10 pts. Costs of development rights estimated to be in excess of $10,000/acre 5 pts.