Agriculture Land Use Study confirms loss of Wayne County dairy farms

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA - More farmland in Wayne County was claimed by forestation than by development. Sprawl from development isn’t happening in Wayne County, according to a study by the Wayne County Planning Department.

“This finding reveals that as Wayne County farmers close their dairy operations, it has more to do with a national dairy economy than growth and development pressures,” said Wayne County Director of Planning Ed Coar, who presented the study to the county commissioners at their meeting on August 28.

There is a nationwide crisis in dairy farming because the money coming to farmers through the sale of milk does not match their cost of operation. Prices for things like seed, electricity, fertilizer and insurance have risen over 50 and 60 percent, while the price dairy farmers get for their milk has stayed relatively the same for 10 years.

“The real threat to county farmers is to be able to survive in today’s economy,” Coar said. “The depressed prices dairy farmers are getting for their milk is at the crux of the problem.”

The southern end of the county has seen more conversion to residential development than the north, but it’s still not a strong trend, Coar said.

“We need more of a discussion on this problem with farmers,” Coar said.

According to the study, in 1959 cropland covered 18.4 percent of the county compared to only 12.9 percent in 2002. Forests covered 55.6 percent of the county in 1959, compared to 65.2 percent in 2002.

Due to this trend, the future of Wayne County’s agricultural makeup may become more diverse than it was traditionally in the past, Coar said.

In recent years, the county has instituted programs that assist farmers to help them stay in business.

The county’s Agriculture Conservation Easement Purchase Program has invested $4,700,000 to help purchase farmland, and keep it open.

In addition, over 116,000 acres of county land is enrolled in the Farmland and Forest Land Assessment Program.

“Together, these two programs help preserve agriculture land and open space, something that has long been characteristic of Wayne County,” Coar said.