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2.5 AGRICULTURE IN ORANGE COUNTY1 <br /> BACKGROUND <br /> Orange County has experienced two striking trends in recent decades <br /> - population growth and farmland loss. A population increase of <br /> more that 64,000 persons, or almost 189%, has occurred in the County <br /> since 1950. Population density has increased from 87 persons per <br /> square mile to 250 persons per square mile in 1988. During the same <br /> period the proportion of County land in farms has declined from <br /> 70.5% in 1959 to an estimated ??% in 1989. The number of farms in <br /> the County has steadily declined from a high of over 2000 in 1950 to <br /> 631 in 1974, the last year for which data are available. <br /> In spite of a sharp decline in land in farms over the past thirty <br /> years, agriculture remains an important contributor' to the economy <br /> of Orange County. In 1978, revenue from farm commodity sales and <br /> government payments amounted to 23.5 million or roughly $300 for <br /> every man, woman, and child the County. <br /> Orange County has 141,430 acres of prime soils, the second highest <br /> total of six Counties in the region, according to a recent study by <br /> the Triangle T Council of Governments. County agriculture is based <br /> on livestock - especially milk production, and tobacco. Table 2-2 <br /> shows the revenue from the five major agricultural activities in the <br /> County. <br /> TABLE 2-2 <br /> 1Source: The information on agriculture is taken from Lo. Erglarza <br /> QA.K Earmal Final AIR= 21 the gg Count Agricialtagg <br /> Task Force. Adopted in principle by the Board of <br /> Commissioners on September 15, 1981. <br />