Special Use on Ag Zoned property

[Airman700]

Help,

Looking for some info from anyone who was granted Specal Use in an Ag Zoned property as an Agri-Business.

Our county zoning folks have said that they will only grant us the Special Use Ag zoning if we can prove the majority (80%) of our ingredients are grown by us on the property. For those of you out there operating in rural areas, what percentage of your ingredients do you yourself grow?

My thanks to all ahead of time.

[Greenfield]

Hey Airman, 

Up here in Ontario we only need to grow 50% of our own grains to remain classified as a farm practice. We did not have to prove it though, we just told the local township we would. 

Im assuming that once you're up and running, it is highly unlikely they will come in and check in on you. I would suggest building a case to prove that you will grow 80% of grain and then once your project is complete, grow whichever amount you please. 

From my experience, local municipalities etc. only maintain there interests until the project is completed. Once final inspections are completed, Their responsibilities end. 

[Glenlyon]

1 hour ago, Greenfield said:

Im assuming that once you're up and running, it is highly unlikely they will come in and check in on you. I would suggest building a case to prove that you will grow 80% of grain and then once your project is complete, grow whichever amount you please. 

From my experience, local municipalities etc. only maintain there interests until the project is completed. Once final inspections are completed, Their responsibilities end.

No so in BC as the people at Persephones (a local brewer) will tell you. They have just completed a multi year fight with the agricultural land reserve. Ultimately, the BC government had to change the rules or they would have been forced to move. So, read the instructions carefully. 

[dhdunbar]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I will make a comment anyway.  Terms like "special use" and "Agriculturally Zoned" and "Agri-Business," when employed in a law or regulation, are usually defined in that law or regulation, in a general form "When used in this part, the term "Agriculturally Zoned means, ya da ya da."  Two adjacent political jurisdictions, counties, for example, may define the term in two very different ways.  Therefore,  no one can answer the sort of question you pose without first knowing the specific code that applies and then looking at that code to see how the terms are used in that c code.  If the street that separates my property from the property across the street is also demarcates different political boundaries, then the rules that apply to me may be very different than the rules that apply to my neighbor.  Glenlyon is correct.  Read the instructions carefully, but also read the definitions of the words that are used.  You cannot escape that, perhaps onerous task,  by asking on a forum like this what other people have learned in other jurisdictions.