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• February 13, 1995 Page 8 parcel size to establish a residence or a farm operation is 35 acres, subject to certain exceptions not here applicable. Section 10. 125 (1) (a) of the Dane County Ordinances states the purposes of A-1 Agriculture District (Exclusive) . Two of the purposes are to preserve productive agricultural land and productive farms. Another is to comply with the provisions of the Farmland Preservation Law to permit eligible landowners to receive tax credits under Section 71.09 (11) of the Wisconsin Statutes. Section 10. 123 (1) (b) of the Ordinances states that an exclusive agricultural zoning district is intended to apply to lands in productive farm operations. Under Section 10.123 (5) of the Ordinances the minimum lot size to establish or maintain a farm operation is 35 acres . Prior to the effective date of A-1 Exclusive Agriculture zoning blanket coverage, this parcel did not conform to the 35-acre minimum size standards and was not suitable for farming. This parcel was and is not eligible or suitable for farmland preservation and tax credits under the applicable statutes and ordinances. This parcel was and is not suitable for the uses to which the Dane County Ordinances restrict it. Notwithstanding, this parcel was covered by A-1 Exclusive Agriculture zoning applied in blanket fashion. We believe this parcel properly should have been excluded from the blanket A-1 Exclusive Agriculture zoning coverage and should have been rezoned to allow rural development. If this parcel should have been excluded from A-1 Exclusive Agriculture zoning coverage, it follows that land use policies and standards applicable to farmland preservation are inappropriate and irrelevant to rezoning this parcel . Applying farmland preservation policies and standards to this parcel perpetuates rather than corrects a zoning classification error. The result obtained from applying land use policies and standards applicable to farmland preservation to a parcel which is substandard and unsuitable for farming are unfair, harsh, and clearly not intended by statutes and ordinances. (3) The Proposed Rural Development Is Consistent With Agricultural Use And Will Not Interfere With Surrounding Uses. Agriculture is not just farming. Agriculture is a broad range of fields that go beyond traditional farming. It encompasses, among other things, agriculture-related business in biotechnology, environmental and landscape management and horticulture. The proposed rezoning is consistent with agricultural use in that: (a) the proposed uses will not conflict with farming on site or convert any land suitable for farming;