Farming's Decline Examined; Frederick Report Offers Ways to Boost Sagging Agriculture
Frederick County's farming industry, once the area's primary economic engine, is in decline and needs help from the county to stay competitive, according to a report presented to the Board of County Commissioners.</br></br>Total farm sales dropped $20 million between 1990 and 1997, from $163 million to $143 million, according to a report commissioned by the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. The number of farms in Frederick County dropped nearly 10 percent, from 1,439 in 1987 to 1,309 in 1997, the study found.</br></br>Agriculture remains "a large and extensive industry," with some sectors showing "some stability and growth," the report concluded.</br></br>But despite some signs of improvement, the study said, "the local farming economy continues to suffer from similar economic woes as the U.S. farm economy."</br></br>The report, the county's first comprehensive study of agriculture, attributes drooping sales to rising farming costs, shrinking commodity prices and a decreasing amount of farmland, much of which has been gobbled up by development in recent years.