2009 News

June 29, 2009

Bucks County Farms: Fresh to Your Table

The Board of Bucks County Commissioners is proud to join the Bucks County office of the Penn State Cooperative Extension to remind residents of the availability of the annual publication, “Fresh From Bucks County Farms.” This handy resource booklet, which includes voluntary participation by more than 65 county farming locations, is a guide to local roadside markets and “pick your own” farms.

According to Bucks County Cooperative Extension Director Michael P. Fournier, Bucks County’s agricultural community continues to reap “the great efforts of the county (commissioners, Planning Commission and residents) to preserve farmland over the past 20 years.” The 2007 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census measured many aspects of farming economics at the county level, including all regions of the country. One of those data categories is titled “Direct Sales by Farmers to Consumers for Human Consumption.” Of the more than 3,000 counties in the United States, Bucks County is ranked 20th in the nation in this category.

“Farming has played a historically significant role in our local economy and lifestyle since William Penn founded Bucks County in 1682,” remarked county Commissioner Chairman Charles H. Martin. “As county commissioners, we urge you to help maintain this tradition of local economic viability by shopping at our many wonderful farm markets and by purchasing items at our dairies and vineyards.”

According to the 2007 USDA Census – which is a national survey conducted every five years – Bucks County boasts 934 farms totaling 75,883 acres with an average size of 81 acres. Of those 934 farms, the commissioners have preserved 129 farms (totaling 11,188 acres) since 1990 through the county’s publicly supported Agricultural Land Preservation program.

The Penn State Cooperative Extension printed 8,000 copies of the “Fresh From Bucks County Farms” booklet. They are available through the extension (215-345-3283), at the window of the Commissioners’ Office of Public Information (fifth floor of the courthouse, 55 E. Court St., Doylestown) or as a downloadable PDF file on the main page of the official county Web site, www.BucksCounty.org.