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Land use labors under a “misconception” that, because land in agricultural uses is taxed at a substantially lower rate than its fair market value, the county is losing money, he explained.
However, Mr. Massie pointed out, the land requires far less in services than is paid in taxes, even at the reduced rate. And, the farmer’s home and one acre surrounding it are taxed at the fair market rate. “People think farmers are ‘getting over.’ They don’t realize that open fields don’t require police, or schools . . . we hope to change their perceptions.”
“We don’t want to be antagonistic,” Mr. Eastham stressed. “We want to work with other organizations with similar goals. But, he added, “we also want to hear from people who don’t like land use. We’d like to talk to them about it. . . try to explain land use without polarizing the issue any more than it is.”
Mr. Eastham said that the American Farmland Trust, along with the Piedmont Environmental Council and the Rappahannock League for Environmental Protection, has been doing some work in the county evaluating its land use program, as well as exploring other, innovative alternatives.
“The state has decided it is time to do something to protect and preserve the countryside, and we want to explore the possibilities of using it in Rappahannock County,” Mr. Massie added.
The group also plans to sponsor seminars on issues of interest to farmers, and would like to institute a scholarship program for graduates of Rappahannock County High School.
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