Introduction to Agriculture in Your Area and Getting Your Questions Answered : Agriculture in Your Area

Agriculture in Your Area

To learn about the United States agriculture industry in general the U.S. Labor Department has an overview at http://www.bls.gov/oco/cg/cgs001.htm. Currently, about 1.8% of the population is employed in agriculture. 91% of all farms are small, family farms who own two-thirds of all the farm land and account for 50% of the ag industries total production value.

To get some basic statistics on ag in your area start at the
U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, whose motto is "timely, accurate, and useful statistics in service to U. S. agriculture". http://www.usda.gov/nass/ .Visit Census 2002 Homepage at http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/ for links to state and county level profiles and Links to State Level Statictical Services: http://www.usda.gov/nass/sso-rpts.htm

To see general trends look for reports that show multiple census years such as the
1997 Census of Agriculture Highlights: http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/highlights/ag-state.htm

Many people are surprised to learn the number of farms and the many different commodities produced even in their own county, let alone state. The definition of a farm for the Census is any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year.

For example in New York the fresh market vegetable industry ranks fifth in the nation for total value and apple production is second only to Washington State. Grape production is ranked third nationally (behind CA and WA).

An Overview of NY Ag located on the NY Ag Statistics Service's website at http://www.nass.usda.gov/ny/

Agriculture and Community

The impact of agriculture on a community can be hard to quantify. When people talk about farming as a lifestyle as opposed to a profession, they are touching on the intrinsic qualities of agriculture. In a community agriculture is a source of open space, employment, tax receipts and local agriculture products as discussed in Invest in Your Community.

Cost of Community Services Studies are an effective way to compare different land uses and compare their cost to tax payers. Residences use more in services than they pay in taxes, while open space and agriculture pay more and use less. Sixteen studies done across the country in the last ten years were prepared in towns much like those in our area (Washington County, NY), which are experiencing considerable growth and change and needed information for appropriate policy development. The six Cost of Services studies in New York were done by various groups interested in community planning: Cooperative Extension, American Farmland Trust, and Scenic Hudson. The following graph uses only New York Figures. - American Farmland Trust

The old adage that cows do not send their children to school expresses a documented fact--that farms and other types of open land, far from being a drain on local taxes, actually subsidize local government by generating far more in property taxes than they demand in services. The opposite is true of most suburban forms of residential development. In other words, maintaining a substantial open space system is one important way of controlling the costs of government. - Holly L. Thomas, "The Economic Benefits of Land Conservation". Dutchess Co. Planning Dept.