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FARMLANDS MEMORANDUM I-75 PD&E Study | South of S.R. 44 to S.R. 200 Financial Management Number: 452074-2
Sumter and Marion Counties
May 2024
The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by the Department of Transportation (FDOT) pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated May 26, 2022 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Natural Resources Conservation Service
FARMLAND CONVERSION IMPACT RATING FOR CORRIDOR TYPE PROJECTS
| PART I (To be completed by Federal Agency) | 3. Date of Land Evaluation Request 3/26/24 | 4. Sheet 1 of _____ | |||
| 1. Name of Project I-75 Forward Southern Study: I-75 Improvements. 5. Federal Agency Involved FDOT District 5 | |||||
| 2. Type of Project Highway widening (addition of auxiliary lanes) | 6. County and State Marion County, Florida | ||||
| PART II (To be completed by NRCS) | 1. Date Request Received by NRCS 4/17/24 | 2. Person Completing Form W.Nelson | |||
| 3. Does the corridor contain prime, unique statewide or local important farmland? (If no, the FPPA does not apply - Do not complete additional parts of this form). | YES ☑ NO ☐ | 4. Acres Irrigated | Average Farm Size 13214 83 | |||
| 5. Major Crop(s) Forage (Hay) | 6. Farmable Land in Government Jurisdiction Acres: 82964 % 8.21 | 7. Amount of Farmland As Defined in FPPA Acres: 19200 % .015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8. Name of Land Evaluation System Used None | 9. Name of Local Site Assessment System Soil Potential Rating | 10. Date Land Evaluation Returned by NRCS 5/17/24 | |||
| PART III (To be completed by Federal Agency) | Alternative Corridor For Segment _____ | ||||
| A. Total Acres To Be Converted Directly | Corridor A | Corridor B | Corridor C | Corridor D | |
| B. Total Acres To Be Converted Indirectly, Or To Receive Services | 18.86 | 0 | |||
| C. Total Acres In Corridor | 0 | ||||
| PART IV (To be completed by NRCS) Land Evaluation Information | 196.9 | 0 | |||
| A. Total Acres Prime And Unique Farmland | |||||
| B. Total Acres Statewide And Local Important Farmland | 18.8 | ||||
| C. Percentage Of Farmland in County Or Local Govt. Unit To Be Converted | 0 | ||||
| D. Percentage Of Farmland in Govt. Jurisdiction With Same Or Higher Relative Value | 0.1 | ||||
| PART V (To be completed by NRCS) Land Evaluation Information Criterion Relative value of Farmland to Be Serviced or Converted (Scale of 0 - 100 Points) | 29.2 | ||||
| PART VI (To be completed by Federal Agency) Corridor Assessment Criteria (These criteria are explained in 7 CFR 658.5(c)) | 51.1 | ||||
| 1. Area in Nonurban Use | Maximum Points | ||||
| 2. Perimeter in Nonurban Use | 15 | ||||
| 3. Percent Of Corridor Being Farmed | 10 | ||||
| 4. Protection Provided By State And Local Government | 20 | ||||
| 5. Size of Present Farm Unit Compared To Average | 20 | ||||
| 6. Creation Of Nonfarmable Farmland | 10 | ||||
| 7. Availability Of Farm Support Services | 25 | ||||
| 8. On-Farm Investments | 5 | ||||
| 9. Effects Of Conversion On Farm Support Services | 20 | ||||
| 10. Compatibility With Existing Agricultural Use | 25 | ||||
| TOTAL CORRIDOR ASSESSMENT POINTS | 10 | ||||
| PART VII (To be completed by Federal Agency) | 160 | ||||
| Relative Value Of Farmland (From Part V) | |||||
| Total Corridor Assessment (From Part VI above or a local site assessment) | 100 | ||||
| TOTAL POINTS (Total of above 2 lines) | 160 | ||||
| 1. Corridor Selected: | 260 | ||||
| Corridor A (Preferred Alternative/Auxiliary) | 2. Total Acres of Farmlands to be Converted by Project: | 3. Date Of Selection: | 4. Was A Local Site Assessment Used? | ||
| 5. Reason For Selection: | 18.86 | 3/26/24 | YES ☐ NO ☑ | ||
| FDOT is proposing the operational improvements including construction of auxiliary lanes between interchanges for a 22.5-mile segment of I-75 from south of S.R. 44 to S.R. 200. The preferred alternative meets the project purpose and need. The purpose of this project is to evaluate short-term operational improvements on the mainline of I-75 from south of S.R. 44 to SR 200. The primary needs for this project are to enhance current transportation safety and modal interrelationships while providing additional capacity between existing interchanges. No interchange improvements will be evaluated. This Signature of Person Completing this Part: |DATE Edward Northey, FDOT D5, Environmental Management Supervisor 4/17/24 | |||||
| NOTE: Complete a form for each segment with more than one Alternate Corridor | |||||
Clear Form
CORRIDOR - TYPE SITE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
The following criteria are to be used for projects that have a linear or corridor-type site configuration connecting two distant points, and crossing several different tracts of land. These include utility lines, highways, railroads, stream improvements, and flood control systems. Federal agencies are to assess the suitability of each corridor-type site or design alternative for protection as farmland along with the land evaluation information.
- How much land is in nonurban use within a radius of 1.0 mile from where the project is intended? More than 90 percent - 15 points 90 to 20 percent - 14 to 1 point(s) Less than 20 percent - 0 points
- Less than 20 percent - 0 points
- How much of the perimeter of the site borders on land in nonurban use? More than 90 percent - 10 points 90 to 20 percent - 9 to 1 point(s) Less than 20 percent - 0 points
- How much of the site has been farmed (managed for a scheduled harvest or timber activity) more than five of the last 10 years? More than 90 percent - 20 points 90 to 20 percent - 19 to 1 point(s) Less than 20 percent - 0 points
- Is the site subject to state or unit of local government policies or programs to protect farmland or covered by private programs to protect farmland?
Site is protected - 20 points
Site is not protected - 0 points
(5) Is the farm unit(s) containing the site (before the project) as large as the average- size farming unit in the County ?
(Average farm sizes in each county are available from the NRCS field offices in each state. Data are from the latest available Census of Agriculture, Acreage or Farm Units in Operation with $1,000 or more in sales.)
As large or larger - 10 points
Below average - deduct 1 point for each 5 percent below the average, down to 0 points if 50 percent or more below average - 9 to 0 points
- If the site is chosen for the project, how much of the remaining land on the farm will become non-farmable because of interference with land patterns? Acreage equal to more than 25 percent of acres directly converted by the project - 25 points Acreage equal to between 25 and 5 percent of the acres directly converted by the project - 1 to 24 point(s) Acreage equal to less than 5 percent of the acres directly converted by the project - 0 points
- Does the site have available adequate supply of farm support services and markets, i.e., farm suppliers, equipment dealers, processing and storage facilities and farmer's markets? All required services are available - 5 points Some required services are available - 4 to 1 point(s)
- No required services are available - 0 points
- Does the site have substantial and well-maintained on-farm investments such as barns, other storage building, fruit trees and vines, field terraces, drainage, irrigation, waterways, or other soil and water conservation measures? High amount of on-farm investment - 20 points Moderate amount of on-farm investment - 19 to 1 point(s) No on-farm investment - 0 points
- Would the project at this site, by converting farmland to nonagricultural use, reduce the demand for farm support services so as to jeopardize the continued existence of these support services and thus, the viability of the farms remaining in the area? Substantial reduction in demand for support services if the site is converted - 25 points Some reduction in demand for support services if the site is converted - 1 to 24 point(s) No significant reduction in demand for support services if the site is converted - 0 points
- Is the kind and intensity of the proposed use of the site sufficiently incompatible with agriculture that it is likely to contribute to the eventual conversion of surrounding farmland to nonagricultural use? Proposed project is incompatible to existing agricultural use of surrounding farmland - 10 points Proposed project is tolerable to existing agricultural use of surrounding farmland - 9 to 1 point(s) Proposed project is fully compatible with existing agricultural use of surrounding farmland - 0 points
Farmland Impacts from Ponds (18.86 acres) Prime Farmlands (NRCS Oct 2023) Preferred ponds FDOT Right of Way Land Use (FDEP Land Use Land Cover June 2023) 110 Urban and Built-Up: Residential (0.01 acre) 190 Urban and Built-Up: Open Land (1.82 acres) 210 Cropland and Pastureland (0.44 acre) 250 Specialty Farms (10.04 acres) 430 Upland Mixed Forest (6.54 acres)
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Source: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, and the GIS User Community
Source: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics, and the GIS User Community
Legend
Farmland Impacts from Ponds (18.86 acres) Prime Farmlands (NRCS Oct 2023) Preferred ponds FDOT Right of Way Land Use (FDEP Land Use Land Cover June 2023) 110 Urban and Built-Up: Residential (0.01 acre) 190 Urban and Built-Up: Open Land (1.82 acres) 210 Cropland and Pastureland (0.44 acre) 250 Specialty Farms (10.04 acres) 430 Upland Mixed Forest (6.54 acres)
United States Department of Agriculture
May 17, 2024
Stephen Browning, PE FDOT District Five Consultant( HDR) Planning and Environmental Management 719 South Woodland Blvd Deland, Florida-32720
Subject: NRCS Farmland Protection Policy Act Review
Dear : Stephen Browning
The following guidance is provided for your information.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has reviewed the: I-75 Improvements from South of SR 44 to SR 200 PD&E Study (FPID 452074-2) project
The Agriculture and Food Act of 1981, (Public Law 97-98) containing the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA)—Subtitle I of Title XV, Section 1539-1549, is intended to minimize the impact federal programs have on the unnecessary and irreversible conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses. Projects are subject to FPPA requirements if they may irreversibly convert farmland (directly or indirectly) to nonagricultural use and are completed by a federal agency or with assistance from a federal agency.
Based on the information provided for the area of interest located in Sumter county FL. The area in question meets one or more of the above criteria for exemption since the location is in non-prime farm ground according to the Code of Federal Regulation 7CFR 658, Farmland Protection Policy Act, Section 658-2. You are exempt from filling the AD1006 at this time. Use this letter as proof of exemption. No further action with regard to FPPA is required on your part.
If you have any questions concerning the soils or interpretations for this project please email me, Willie.Nelson@usda.gov. Any future projects, please refer me as the point of contact.
NRCS - Farmland Protection Policy Act Website: Farmland Protection Policy Act | Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov)
Sincerely,
Willie Nelson Resource Soil Scientist USDA NRCS Florida
Natural Resources Conservation Service, Florida 2144 West Jefferson Street, Quincy, FL 32606 Voice 850-627-6365 USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer and Lender