The Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan's purpose is to analyze and understand the foundations of Cattaraugus County's agricultural economy and to create recommendations for structural economic development programming to ultimately enhance the future of local agriculture.

Plans

New Plan Released End of 2020

A new Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan was adopted on December 9, 2020.

Agriculture in Cattaraugus County is a significant economic driver and a large part of the county’s identity. It is the goal of Cattaraugus County to retain and expand the variety of traditional and nontraditional agricultural businesses operating in the county by supporting entrepreneurialism and business networking, providing timely training, and encouraging farmland protection. This Ag Plan Update supports County agriculture goals by using key contextual information to construct recommendations aimed at advancing local agriculture

With this Goal Statement in mind the Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board and Department of Economic Development, Planning and Tourism worked together along with consultants at ACDS, LLC to develop an updated plan to address changes since the last plan in 2007.

View/Download the 2020 Catt. County Ag & Farmland Protection Plan (11.4 MB)

Previous Ag & Farmland Plan Released on March 28, 2007

On March 28, 2007, the Cattaraugus County Legislature adopted the county's first Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan.  The purpose of this plan is to analyze and understand the foundations of Cattaraugus County's agricultural economy and to create recommendations for structural economic development programming to ultimately enhance the future of local agriculture.

The plan is intended to encourage long-term policy formation in support of agriculture while providing a specific short-term framework to guide local programs regarding specific agricultural economic development and land use initiatives. To accomplish this, the consultant team of ACDS, LLC and the American Farmland Trust (AFT) gathered published data for Cattaraugus County and the surrounding region to assess current conditions. This data was reaffirmed by interviewing 44 farmers, agribusinesses, entrepreneurs, service providers, public officials, and community leaders. In addition to interviews, the study team sent a survey to town officials to assess on-the-ground land use conditions.

The result of the process is a series of findings relative to agricultural business and land use conditions. As well, the study team has made 12 recommendations for action to improve these conditions in advancement of both the agricultural industry and local communities.

Download the old Cattaraugus County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan from March 28, 2007 (warning: this is a large file - 16 Mb)