Bethlehem Farmland Lease Applications Due March 13 | The Locally Times
The Town of Bethlehem offers seasonal hay harvesting licenses and agricultural use lease agreements for farmland in Glenmont and Selkirk; applications are due March 13, 2026.
Applications for the Town of Bethlehem's 2026 Farmland Agricultural Use Lease and seasonal hay harvesting licenses close at 3:00 pm on Friday, March 13, 2026, according to a notice from the Town of Bethlehem. This follows previous Locally Times coverage regarding the Town's offering of these opportunities. The Town of Bethlehem provides a range of farmland opportunities for 2026 in both Glenmont and Selkirk, encompassing seasonal hay harvesting licenses and agricultural use lease agreements, as detailed in the March 13, 2026, Town of Bethlehem notice. The Town adopted its 2026 Expenditure Budget on February 20, 2026. Public records do not specify the financial terms, lease durations, or eligibility requirements for these agreements, nor do they detail their impact on the Town's 2026 budget. ## Transparency Gaps The Town of Bethlehem's public documents do not indicate the total acreage of farmland available for lease or license in Glenmont and Selkirk, or how this compares to previous years' offerings. Additionally, the records do not outline the criteria the Town will apply when evaluating applications, nor do they describe the public process for selecting successful applicants. This absence of detail leaves unclear how these farmland lease opportunities align with the Town's broader land use planning and agricultural preservation goals, and their specific contribution to the Town's revenue and expenditure projections. **What to Watch:** Residents await further information from the Town of Bethlehem regarding the specific conditions and selection process for these farmland opportunities, and their financial implications for the 2026 budget.