In 1997, the county had 1,766 farms, yet only 957 were considered active. Promoting the development of unused farm land represents an important part of the office's agenda. Fauquier is in a very unique situation with a lot of extremely good agricultural land. The agriculture office also helps organize the annual Fauquier Fall Farm Tour. Although Manassas has a meat packing plant, most of the 60,000 cattle produced each year in Fauquier get shipped to Pennsylvania or out West to be slaughtered and processed.
Farmers miss out on the opportunity to add value to production.
However, he remains optimistic. It's amazing what a lot of people can do when they have a focus. To include a listing in the 2000 Fauquier County Farm Product Directory, contact Peter Mitchell at 341-7950 ext.