“Working with a variety of area farmers to be able to farm those properties has been something that we’ve worked through in the past and continue to do,” Heck said. “These are five-year agreements for various acreage throughout the city.”
The wellhead protection area is not suited for development in order to protect the aquifer, Heck said. The airport is more than 1,800 acres with a lot outside the runway zones being land suitable for farming.
“It’s protecting that well field that is the aquifer so we want to protect the land over top of it so nothing can seep into the ground that would impact the aquifer which ultimately would impact the water coming into the water treatment plant.”
The cropland lease agreements are with Raven Farms LLC for 5 acres at 5721 Plattsburg Road, Berner Farms for 308.758 acres around the water treatment plant, Clarks Farm Market LLC for 103.889 acres around the water treatment plant, Clem Farms LTD for 37.99 acres at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, Joseph Agle for 74.466 acres at the airport and Jeremy and Taylor Renner Farm for around 589.04 acres at and near the airport.
Not all, but most of the lease land is tillable farmland.
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