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Pocahontas County Farmland Protection Board Purpose
Nationwide, America is losing farmland. According to the American Farmland Trust,
the United States is losing 2.2 million acres of rural lands to urban sprawl every year. .
In an effort to address the loss of farmland, over 20 states have implemented farmland protection programs. In 1996, the U.S. Department of Agriculture funded a farmland protection effort with a 6-year goal of protecting between 170,000 and 340,000 acres of farmland.
West Virginia has not escaped the loss of farmland. From 1964 to 1997, The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that West Virginia lost an incredible 17,732 farms and 1,823,060 acres of farmland. From 1982 through 1997, 25 of the most productive counties in West Virginia had a combined loss of 103,519 acres of productive farmland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also reports that West Virginia lost 21,676 acres of orchard land from 1964 to 1997. To address the loss of agriculture land and woodland as open space, the West Virginia legislature passed into law on March 10, 2000 the Voluntary Farmland Protection Act.
Agriculture is an integral part of Pocahontas County’s economy, landscape and natural resource base.
This program establishes uniform standards and guidelines for the eligibility of properties and the ranking criteria utilized to prioritize funds allocation to purchase conservation easements, or to pay associated costs for the purchased or donated easements. The guidelines established by this program outline the various methods of farmland protection available to prospective participating property owners, and the procedures to be followed in applying for program consideration in Pocahontas County.
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