FALLSBURG — The Town of Fallsburg has adopted a Right to Farm Law after hearing from local farmers and residents during a public hearing on July 1.

After much debate, the town took the time to hear concerns and support for the proposed local law before the board voted to adopt it.

The town board later voted in favor of Resolution No. 53 of 2026, which approved Local Law No. 3 of 2026, known as the Town of Fallsburg Right to Farm Law.

The public hearing began with a letter from Jerry Skoda, who spoke about the importance of farming in Fallsburg.

According to the letter, farming in Fallsburg is a multimillion-dollar business and the town has more Class One farmland than many other towns in Sullivan County.

Class One soil is considered some of the best soil for farming according to Skoda.

During the hearing, one resident asked whether the new law would change or overrule the town’s current zoning laws.

Town officials said it would not.

The town board explained that the law does not allow someone to call a property a farm if the use is not allowed under the town’s zoning laws. Farms must still follow local zoning rules, permits and other laws.

A local farmer also spoke in favor of the law and said Right to Farm laws are meant to protect real farms that are following the law from lawsuits that have little or no cause.

The farmer said the law would not give farms the right to do anything they want.

“It is there to protect legitimate farms who are following the laws, the zoning laws and regulations, against frivolous lawsuits,” the farmer said.

Right to Farm laws are common across New York and are used to help protect normal farming work.

That work may include the use of tractors, farm trucks, livestock, manure, early morning work, noise, dust and smells.

New York Agriculture and Markets Law also gives farms some protection.

Section 305-a of the law says towns and other local governments cannot place unfair limits on farms located inside an agricultural district unless there is a health or safety concern.

Section 308 of the law may also protect farming work from nuisance lawsuits when the state finds that the farm is using sound farming practices.

However, the state law does not mean a farm can ignore zoning, health, safety or environmental laws.

Fallsburg’s new law follows the same general idea. It supports farming, but farms must still follow the rules already on the books.

The law may become more important as homes, camps and other projects are built closer to farmland.

People who move near farms may hear tractors early in the morning, smell manure or see farm equipment using local roads. The law is meant to make it clear that these can be normal parts of living in a farming area.

The town first opened the hearing to allow people to speak about the proposed law. After the hearing was closed, the board returned to the matter later in the meeting and approved it.