In her October 24 column , Linda Blackford pushed against campaign ads against District 5 Council member Liz Sheehan for her vote to expand the Urban Services Boundary. Ms. Blackford also attacked the Fayette Alliance (FA) and its goals of preserving farmland. Blackford called the proposed USB expansion “self-inflicted” because the FA often opposes encroachment on farmland. She also stated that “while horse interests used to dominate Lexington, fewer and fewer people care.” But preserving farmland benefits more than the horse industry, and more and more people care.
The USDA, stewards of our nation’s finite supply of soils, has mapped soils classified as “prime farmland” that should be protected from development due to their high productivity. These soils are intrinsically valuable and critical for long term food production (not just horses). Seventy percent of Fayette County’s land is outside the USB and 58% of that is designated “prime farmland” by the USDA. This is why the Lexington region has such a long history of farming (for crops and cattle as well as horses). Sparing prime soils from development is one of the reasons development restrictions are tighter in the Rural Service Area, and why Lexington has a “green wall.” The FA supports long term management of soils that are critical to not just Fayette County, but our nation.
Perhaps “fewer and fewer people care” about the horse industry, but Lexington residents enjoy the open space and rural character of our county and are willing to pay higher taxes for farmland preservation. A 2019 study found county residents are willing to pay an additional $55.14–$67.78 annually to maintain the equine industry…