Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
One way that local farmers can increase their profit margin is by value-added agriculture, or the idea that an apple pie contains more potential profit than the three or four raw apples that go into it. Adding value, of course, also adds to the number of agriculture-related job opportunities. We need to find a way to keep our young people in the county after high school, and value-added agriculture certainly is one. If there is any new industry to enter the county in the years ahead, it ought to be an industry that feeds off of area farms.
“Urban fringe” farming in Rappahannock would take advantage of proximity to the D.C., Baltimore and Richmond markets for certain farm products. Ethnic restaurants, for example, may demand fresh goat milk, or shiitake mushrooms, or venison. One very successful enterprise in Huntly, Jordan River Farm, takes subscriptions from urban consumers and grows organic produce and meat—that’s the kind of innovative thinking that works. We can’t compete with the gigantic grain and beef operations out west, but they have tranportation problems we don’t. Urban fringe farming plays into the county’s strong suit: location.
In other parts of the country, local governments have worked closely with their farm community to develop regional marketing strategies for farm products. That’s one possible way that Rappahannock’s farmers can work with the public sector to foster their own viability. The farmer’s market is getting re-started, and the RFA might look to expand it once it’s up and running.
The relationship between tourism, retail sales outlets and farms in Rappahannock is symbiotic. Without a broadening commercial base to tax, land-use will be in danger of becoming a financial impossibility. Without open space, tourism will decline. The RFA is looking at ways to foster this relationship, and it’s in everyone’s best interest that it succeeds. Craft shops, B&Bs, antique markets—these all thrive off the rural character of Rappahannock and contribute back to it by creating jobs, paying taxes and by focusing development on the villages.
Farming isn’t going to get any easier to do here in the future, unless a multi-front effort is made by farmers themselves, the county government and ordinary citizens to protect and foster it. Developing a clear vision of what that future ought to look like is an important first step, but finding ways to implement that vision won’t be easy. It’s going to take more than just lip service to bring it about. Any ideas about the right way to go about protecting our farms will pay off in more ways than (me. V « • >
83.9%