Farmland lost to development appears to be slowing in Virginia according to numbers recently released from the Farmland Information Center. Over 81,000 acres were lost between 1997 and 2002 according to FIS statistics but in the period between 2002 and 2007 those losses of agricultural land slowed to 60,800 acres.
Available data points out that a similar trend seems to be occurring on other rural lands, too. Looking at agricultural land, forestland and other rural lands combined, Virginia lost 274,900 acres to developed uses in the 1997-2002 period, but only 206,700 acres between 2002-2007.
The numbers are based on the 2007 National Resources Inventory, from the National Resources Conservation Service.
"On one hand, the recent state-level data from the NRI is heartening because it illustrates that the rate of farmland lost to development in the commonwealth has slowed," says Matthew J. Lohr, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. "On the other hand, the loss of vital working farm and forest land continues and we remain concerned about the implications of this loss given the many benefits of our working lands to Virginia."
Farmland and forestry is also Virginia's top industry, accounting for a total economic impact of $79 billion in 2006, according to a report by the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Policy at the University of Virginia. For every job created in agriculture and forestry, another 1.5 jobs results in the Virginia economy.
For more information about the recent NRI data and the Office of Farmland Preservation contact Kevin Schmidt, coordinator, Office of Farmland Preservation, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 102 Governor St., Richmond VA 23219. Alternatively, you may call (804) 786.1346 or e-mail kevin.schmidt@vdacs.virginia.gov.
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