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998, would allow. “Virginia can support housing and commercial development as well as agriculture if proper tools are made available,” he maintained.
Without these tools, farming will no longer be feasible in the state by the year 2000, according to Vickery.
"All across the commonwealth, and particularly in this area, there are those who would like to continue to farm the land,” he said. “However, because of economic pressures, they find it necessary to reap the benefits of increased value of the land by selling it for subdivisions which take the land out of production.
"At present, there is no adequate mechanism for a farmer to be able to meet an economic emergency by drawing on the increased value of his land and maintain the land in production."
Development Rights
Vickery’s bill would create the Agriculture Land Preservation Foundation and empower it to acquire "by gift, purchase, devise, bequest or grant," agricultural easements or other rights to restrict the use of prime agricultural land.
The Foundation would allot money on a county by county basis to buy agricultural land preservation easements where a willing seller chose to join the voluntary program.
"A farmer who sold an agricultural easement would continue to use the land in any productive fashion he saw fit,” said Vickery, emphasizing that the land could not be sold for subdivision or development purposes. At the end of 25 years, the land owner could request that the easement be reviewed for termination. Upon approval of the Foundation, the land owner could repurchase the easement by paying the
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