Advance Planning

Public Forums on the Draft Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan Continue

The series of public forums on the Draft Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan continue in September to allow all interested citizens an opportunity to provide their input into the Plan, which is available at www.cattco.org or by contacting any of the individuals listed below. Very positive and constructive input was given at the first three forums held in August. But more is needed. The dates, times and locations of the final three forums are as follows.

The Plan contains a series of findings relative to agricultural business and land use conditions as well as 13 action recommendations that would improve the current conditions of both the agricultural industry and local communities in Cattaraugus County. We need your input on these findings and recommendations, which our consultants, Agricultural & Community Development Services, LLC (ACDS) and American Farmland Trust (AFT) have made as a result of their extensive research.

Please download and review the DRAFT Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan.

For further information contact:
Paul Bishop, Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism, at 716-938-9111 ext. 2369, prbishop [at] CattCo.org
Joan Petzen, Cooperative Extension, at 716-699-2377 ext. 124, jsp10 [at] Cornell.edu
Brian Davis, Cattaraugus County Soil & Water Conservation District, at 716-699-2326, briandavis47 [at] hotmail.com

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE PROJECT

The purpose of this project is to analyze and understand the foundations of Cattaraugus County’s agricultural economy and to create recommendations for economic development programs that will ultimately enhance the future of agricultural enterprises in the County. To accomplish this, the consultants on the project, gathered published data for Cattaraugus County and the surrounding region to assess current conditions. They then interviewed over 40 farmers, agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, service providers, public officials, and community leaders to assess on-the-ground land use conditions.

As a result of this process is a series of findings relative to agricultural business and land use conditions. The consultants also made 13 action recommendations that would improve the current conditions of both the agricultural industry and local communities in Cattaraugus County.

Agriculture in Cattaraugus County is a large and extensive industry consisting of 1,157 farm enterprises on over 200,000 acres of farmland. In 2002, the last year for which comprehensive data is available, Cattaraugus County’s farm output totaled over $58 million and employed nearly 1,500 people on the farm with another $15.5 million in logging output. Along with the direct impact to the economy, the County’s farm economy contributed an additional $46 million in output and employed another 550 workers through its linkages to other industries.

Despite slow structural change that has both farm numbers and farmed acres declining, Cattaraugus County has maintained and, in some cases grown, a vibrant agricultural economy. This is supported by the fact that agriculture and agriculturally related industries account for nearly 3% of all private income and 5% of private employment in Cattaraugus County. These facts make agriculture the sixth largest employer in the County behind tourism, manufacturing, health care, administrative services, and retail industries. Beyond production agriculture, the County also has strong output in related manufacturing sectors such as wood product manufacturing and meat processing.