A3o—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 12,1981
Perry County study eyes ag land protection
NEW BLOOMFIELD - Just
how important is agriculture to
Perry County ?
The comparison ot just one
economic statistic amply
illustrates tarming’s importance
to the largely rural county nor
thwest ot Harrisburg.
The value ot products trom the
county’s 17b dairy tarms - just one
segment ot Perry’s total
agriculture - tops $l4 million.
In comparison, production in the
county’s largest non-agncultural
industry, apparel manutactunng,
is valued at less than halt that
tigure, or about sb.tt million.
In a nutshell, this comparison
illustrates why the Perry Con
servation District has published an
extensive study entitled
"Agricultural Land Protection”
and is staging an explanatory slide
program to explain the need tor
such protection and preservation
to various citizen groups
throughout the county. ■*
The study, prepared by Ted
Furry, Executive Assistant ot the
Perry Conservation District,
basically spells out an inventory ot
agriculture in the county, outlines
methods and techniques ot
agricultural land protection that
are available and recommends
certain public particiupation that
is needed to bring about such
protection.
Under the ag inventory, the
study points out that the number ot
tarms in the county dropped trom
more than 1,600 m 1954 to 734 in
1978. And, during the same period,
the total acreage ot farmland
decreased trom 180,000 to 123,000.
As the slide program states:
‘The tune to save our good land
tor agriculture is now. Population
has increased in all 21 townships,
assessments have increased but
the acres ot farmland has
decreased. For some townships,
planning tor continued tarm
development is already too late to
protect the better land. ’ ’
Average population density in
the county has increased to about
60 people per square mile.
The study points to those
townships in Perry which have the
lower population densities which
have a greater potential tor
agriculture. These include such
townships as Jackson, Madison,
Centre, Spring, Miller and Tyrone.
Among the possible ag land
protection measures that are
available, as cited in the study, are
the various measures passed by
the State Legislature m recent
years, zoning and deed restriction.
Under recommendations, the
study urges that local
municipalities m the county:
-Develop and maintain public
support in tavor ot ag land
protection.
-Establish the importance ot
agncultu£e in each ot the
municipalities.
CLA
-Locate and identity essential
agricultural lands.
-Create tair and
regulatory policies.
The protection ot tannland in
Perry has already received
significant public sentunent in the
county.
In 1979, at a public meeting in
New Bloomfield the number one
concern was the loss ot tarmland.
A survey also showed that some
ail percent ot people in the county
teel that the preservation ot far
mland will require a high priority
in the coming decade.
And, as the Perry Conservation
District’s explanatory slide
equitable
program concludes
" The recent economic conditions
ot increased interest rates and the
inflationary petroleum prices have
accomplished almost overnight ui
Perry County a controlled growth
movement.
A tune to catch our breath.
Will Peiry County in future
years have a planned agricultural
community in a rural-urban en
viromnentV
"Or will Perry County have a
sprawl type development ot
houses?
"The choice lies with the
resident people and the local
governments.’’—L)A