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Show The OGDEN December 15, 2003 VALLEY NEWS Your Community Newspaper PRSRT STD POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Merry Christmas Ogden Valley A View of America’s Assets— Farmland and open spaces Compiled by Shanna Francis Ogden Valley News Children doing a helpful deed for their neighbor. Planning News County Hires Consultant to Develop Recreation Guidelines for Ogden Valley Weber County recently selected the consulting firm Bio West to help develop goals and policies governing development and recreation in Ogden Valley as part of the Valley’s master plan and planning and zoning regulations. The county has budgeted $45,000 for the plan, with Envision Utah providing matching funds as a partner in the project. A steering committee composed of members from the community will also be selected to help with the project. Through the public process, a plan will be implemented, directing what type of future development and recreation will be allowed in Ogden Valley. The county hopes to begin the planning process by the first of the year. New Weber County Planning Commission Member Appointed Country Commissioners have appointed contractor Bruce Nilson, of Nilson Homes, to sit as a member of the Weber County Township Planning Commission. After reviewing proposed county planning and Private Land Conservation in America—The Second Century zoning requests within the township’s jurisdiction, the Planning Commission makes recommendations to the County Commission regarding planning decisions. Nilson is from the Uintah Bench area. The county also recently appointed South Ogden resident David Stephens to the County Board of Adjustments. The board hears and decides appeals to county planning decisions. Current Board of Adjustment members are: Sandy Tuck, Liberty Gage H. Froerer, Huntsville Robert L. Froerer, Huntsville Matthew C. Jensen, Riverdale Duncan Murray, Ogden Michael A. Rios, S. Ogden David Stephens, S. Ogden County to Hold Public Meeting on Proposal to Combine County Townships County Commissioners will hold a public hearing to generate public input on a proposal to combine township planning commission boards that are currently established within the unincorporated boundaries PLANNING cont. on page 10. Agricultural production in America has long been a mainstay of the nation’s economy, which successfully feeds and clothes the domestic population, as well as populations around the world through the exportation of agricultural based goods. As late as 1950, the labor intensive agriculture industry provided jobs for at least 12 percent of the workforce. Since then, both agricultural employment rates and the number of farms in America have dramatically dropped. Mechanization and technological advancements, and wide fluctuations in farm incomes have contributed to the decline. Although only about one-third the numbers of farms exist today as compared with 50 years ago, output has more than doubled, and exports of agricultural goods continue to contribute positively to America’s foreign trade balance. Today, agricultural production remains one of the nation’s top industries in terms of total employment. In 2000, agricultural production employed a total of about 2 million workers, making it one of the largest industries in the nation. The agriculture industry is unusual in that self-employed workers account for more than 40 percent of its workforce. Among workers in all agricultural production occupations, over 1.1 million were wage and salary workers, 885,000 were self-employed, and 34,000 were unpaid family members. On average, workers in agricultural production are older than workers in other industries. In 2000, 50 percent of workers involved in livestock production were age 45 or older, compared with 35 percent for all workers in all industries. As of 1978, the percent of farm operators aged 65 and older rose steadily until it reached 26 percent in 1997. Thus, over one-fourth of U.S. farm operators were at least 65 years old, well beyond conventional retirement age. By comparison, only about 3 percent of the U.S. labor force falls within this age group. The rising share of older framers is due to an absolute increase in their numbers, as well as a steady decrease in the number of farmers under the age of 65. The number of 65-and-older farm operators reached its lowest point at 370,000 in 1978, and rose to 500,000 in 1997. Between 1978 and 1997, the number of operators under age 65 fell from 1.9 million to 1.4 million. The growing population of older farmers may, in part, reflect the weakening of “family farm” institutions, including life-cycle patterns of farmland acquisition and disposal in intergenerational transfer of farm assets. Farm families have a strong tradition of transferring farm businesses from parent to child. For example, a study in 1983 found that children of farmers were 30 times more likely than the average worker to follow their parents’ occupational or business choice. More recently, the traditional pattern of intergenerational transfer of family-operated farm operations from parent to child has reportedly become less common as fewer farm children choose farm careers. A 2003 study indicates that the annual number of new farm entrants under age 35 declined from 39,300 during 1978-82 to 15,500 during 1992-97, a drop of more than 50 percent. Economists suggest that this trend may partially be due to tighter farm credit, staggering start-up costs, and the practice of already established farmers buying up available farm land. Some new farmers may inherit a small piece of the family farm, but these smaller farm parcels, in most cases, are no longer profitable. To purchase a bigger, economically viable farm costs more money, and lenders are less willing to invest large sums of money in new farmers in a business where, even when crops are strong and plentiful, a plunge in the commodity market could put that farmer out of business. A survey of agricultural lenders by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago shows more than half the banks in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa have tightened credit standards as loan payment defaults have risen to levels not seen since 1985. Agricultural land can cost upwards of $3,000 an acre, meaning a $2.4 million investment for an 800-acre farm; statistics show that, on average, to compete and make a living at farming, a producer needs FARMLAND cont. on page 13. Fifth Annual Peddler’s Wares By Stephen T. Johnson Land Trusts at the beginning of the 21st century Land trusts now number over 1200 nationwide, up from just 53 in 1950. They are supported by about a million people, and have helped to protect nearly 5 million acres of land. The diversity of land under management is truly impressive; land trusts protect wildlife habitat and wilderness areas, scenic and historic landscapes, watersheds and water supplies, urban parks and community gardens, and they provide access to hunting, fishing and other forms of outdoor recreation. This diversity of goals has encouraged land trusts to devise diverse techniques—fee simple gift or purchase, bargain sale, perpetual conservation easement, term-easements, and lease arrangements–-in order to achieve the specific conservation goal. In part, this LAND TRUSTS cont. on page 11 Letters to the Editor . Page 2 Announcements . . . . Page 6 Historical Article . . . . Page 9 Calendar of Events . . Page 14 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . Page 15 The Snowberry Inn hosted the 5th Annual Peddler’s Country Christmas Art Show & Shopping Extravaganza held on the weekend of December 5 - 7 in Eden. Part of the proceeds went to the Primary Children’s Hospital. Look for next year’s event. |