FOA - The Strategic Planning and Implementation Process

After the survey results were compiled by Penn State researchers, four meetings were held so community members could study the survey results and develop community priorities. The York County Future of Agriculture Task Force identified six different priorities:

• Education of Non-farmers about Agriculture
• Education of Farmers about Opportunities
• Farm Community Cohesiveness
• Risks to Profitability
• Marketing
• Age/Farm Succession

As group members met to discuss the survey results, these six different priorities became clear areas of importance to the farmers interviewed. These six priorities are discussed below in detail. From these six areas, the group then chose "high-priority" goals. Two areas were selected to be the initial focus for Action Teams that will work together with the community to achieve goals set forth among the group. These two areas were "Education of Non-farmers about Agriculture" and "Education of Farmers about Opportunities." The group decided the remaining four priority areas could be addressed, at least in part, under the two "education" areas, as well serve as future areas of emphasis.

A Summary of the Six Priorities Based on the Survey Results

Priority Issue:
Education of Non-farmers about Agriculture

A concern that came up time and time again in the "Let's Talk" sessions, as well as in the surveys, was that farmers and their non-farm neighbors have different answers to the question, "What is farming?"

Farmers perceive actions taken by the public, either directly or indirectly, which limit their ability to farm as a significant threat. An overwhelming majority of farmers (89%) believe that limited public understanding about agriculture is a threat to their farm activities (Table 1). Coupled with this concern, 85% of farmers also feel threatened by the increasing number of non-farm neighbors. The Future of Agriculture team considers these concerns to be key issues that need to be addressed in York County. One goal is to develop educational materials that will aid in educating the community about the value of agriculture in York County. Another goal is to put together programs and materials that will allow speakers to further educate public officials about agriculture, enabling them to make well informed land use planning decisions. The group is currently working on bolstering efforts for this year's Farm Tour, as well as using this Executive Summary as a resource for a speaker's bureau.

Priority Issue:
Education of Farmers about Opportunities

Figure 9: Farmers' Optimism about the Economic
Outlook for Agriculture in York County

As seen in Figure 9,84% of farmers surveyed are noncommittal or pessimistic about the economic outlook for agriculture in the county. For this reason, the Future of Agriculture Action Teams concluded they should act to provide assistance that could improve the outlook for farmers.

Survey results suggest that farmers would like to know more about opportunities that might help them to improve their operations and increase their incomes. A question in the survey asked farmers which alternative farming practices or marketing options they might be interested in learning more about. Table 2 lists responses from farmers who indicated interest in learning more about marketing options. Purchasing and Marketing Cooperatives were at the top of the list.

Purchasing Cooperatives allow farmers to join together to buy a certain good or input in volume at a lower price than they would be able to buy individually. Marketing Cooperatives allow farmers to combine their livestock or produce to sell to a buyer that they wouldn't necessarily be able to sell to as an individual farmer.

Cooperatives help strengthen farmers bargaining power, maintain access to competitive markets, capitalize on new market opportunities, obtain needed products and services on a competitive basis, improve income opportunities, reduce costs, and manage risk.

In addition to cooperatives, potential opportunity areas identified by the Action Team include, but are not limited to: educating farmers about better management practices, availability of financing opportunities, and regulations. Also, the team has identified the need to find better ways for farmers to communicate with local government officials such as township supervisors and zoning boards. Also under discussion is the creation of a farmer-to-farmer speaker's bureau that would allow farmers to regularly discuss problems they are facing as well as share opportunities with each other.

Priority Issue:
Farm Community Cohesiveness

Figure 6: Gross Farm Sales

A continual theme from the "Let's Talk" sessions was a lack of cohesiveness between small and large farm operations. As seen in Figure 6, the number of mid-size farms is decreasing. Farmers expressed a need for all sizes of agricultural operations to work together more. This need, in part, is being addressed by the Action Teams educating farmers about operations outside of their own and promoting best practices in agriculture.



Priority Issue:
Risks to Profitability

Risks to profitability are varied for most businesses. The situation is no different for York County farmers. As part of the survey, farmers were asked to indicate which factors were most critical to their farm business. Table 3 shows that increasing property taxes were cited as the number one factor critical to the farm businesses. The availability of farmland was second.

Table 4 shows that 33% of the farmers surveyed indicated they had difficulty finding land to rent. Dairy and beef producers seem to have the most difficult time; 50% of dairy and beef producers indicated finding land to rent was a problem.

The Future of Agriculture group felt some of the risks to profitability could be addressed through efforts to educate farmers about opportunities. In addition, during the "Let's Talk" sessions, farmers expressed the concern for availability of affordable land to rent due to the high competition for land in the county. Another concern vocalized was the lack of affordable health insurance.

Priority Issue:
Marketing

Figure 10: Location of Farm Supplies and Marketing

Good marketing strategies tie into the sustainability and profitability of the farm business. Figure 10 indicates adequate infrastructure for agriculture in York County. Inputs required for agricultural operations are generally readily available within the county and region. The challenge, however, is that about half of the inputs used are purchased in a neighboring county. This could be an indicator of possible future infrastructure instability that may impact agriculture. If these businesses were to relocate outside the region, farmers here in York County would have a difficult time getting the inputs they need.

Eighty percent of York County farmers said they have adequate access to markets for their farm products. These markets, however, might not be the most profitable for farmers. An exploration of new marketing opportunities and strategies, including cooperatives, could be an approach for the Future of Agriculture Action Teams to investigate.

Table 5 shows 79% of farmers interviewed indicated that they felt a "Grown in York County" label should be created as a way to promote and market locally grown food products.

Priority Issue:
Age/Farm Succession

Farm succession is a relevant issue. Of the farmers surveyed, 22% were unsure how long they would continue to farm, while another 22% planned to farm less than 10 years (Figure 8). The aging population of farmers is also relevant. Of farmers aged 65 and older who responded, 43% indicated that they planned to discontinue farming within the next five years.

Sixty-eight percent of the farmers surveyed (Table 5) indicated they had some type of long-range plan for the future of their farm. For larger farms (gross sales greater than $250,000), 83% of farmers surveyed planned to continue farming beyond the next 10 years.

The Education of Farmers Action Team recognizes that information about farm succession is a priority issue for farm families with the potential to significantly impact the future of York County's agricultural landscape.