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Show Davis Farming Could Die Out By TOM BUSSELBERG BOUNTIFUL - If something isn't done to conserve con-serve agricultural land in Davis County and along the Wasatch Front, farming-related farming-related activities could become past history for the region, a newly released study says. THAT WORD was given to members of the regional planning agency, Wasatch Front Regional Council, during dur-ing a special session, recently. Crop land has decreased from 1.25 million acres in 1950 to just over one million acres and with the rapid growth, that land is being quickly eaten eat-en up, the group was told. In Salt Lake County, 93,000 acres, or about one-half the land area of Davis County, was devoted to agriculture in 1950. But by 1974, that had been sliced to 57,000 acres, or a loss of about 40 percent in less than 25 years. AND AT present rates, all agricultural land could theoretically be swallowed up in new subdivisions and other urban-related growth by the year 2000. Utah already ranks among the top 10 urban states with nearly one million people concentrated along the Wasatch Front. But growth can be accommodated ac-commodated if cities would minimize scattered, low density den-sity housing development that is becoming a losing proposition proposi-tion for cities to bear, financially. finan-cially. It should be altered in favor of more cluster, higher density housing, the WFRC was told. LAND alone, however, isn't going to necessarily solve the problem. It's not the quantity but quality of green space that counts. Plans must be laid to maintain agricultural use in the most, productive areas. Preservation methods could be incorporated to insure land is still available for local food production, the members were told. One method would see land-owners paid the difference between what land is valued for agriculture and building development. It would be purchased by a political body, and leased back to the farmer for agricultural use. ANOTHER method would allow for development of a portion of agricultural land in residential or other use by a group of property owners under agreement with government bodies. Still another avenue encouraging agriculture gives farmers tax relief, the WFRC was told. Mayor James Davis of South Salt Lake, who spearheads the agriculture committee, said, "I think each county needs to decide; its particular fate." At the same time, he offered a motion, mo-tion, approved by the' body, submitting the WFRC agriculture study to state officials of-ficials for their review. |