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The explanation appears to be two-foldjFirst, the county’s land use tax policy results in farmland owners being taxed on the value of their la$d for agriculture rather than development purposes^ thereby reducing their tax bills. i
Second the majority of our farmers depend only minimally upon their farm income. Farming provides only 5 percent of family income for th# average Rappahannock county farm operator; Presumably, substantial numbers of our farmers can afford to farm without regard for the amount of income generated. $ I
These findings do not point to any particular remedial program or policy. What they do clearly indicate is that the urbanization process has arrived.,!
Also this transformation of our farm sector ha$ occurred without substantial physical change to the countryside. In most parts of the county wp still find tranquil pastoral vistas unmarred by infyusive indications of sprawl. It is tempting to enjoy* these vistas not only for their beauty but also because they appear to symbolize the stability of a tradition-! al farming community. But as the survey d£mon-j strates, the underlying reality is very different |
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