Advance Planning

DRAFT Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan

To anyone interested in the future of agriculture in Cattaraugus County, now is your chance to review and comment on this important document that will help to ensure the long-term viability of agriculture in our County. The Draft Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan is now available for review and public comment. A series of public forums will be held around the County to allow all interested citizens an opportunity to provide their input into the plan. The dates, times and locations of those forums are as follows.

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, Agricultural & Community Development Services, LLC (ACDS) and American Farmland Trust (AFT), 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.

The result of the 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.

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

For further information or to make comments 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