ABSTRACT
Agriculture and the agricultural economy are central features of the heritage of Fauquier County. Increased losses of the open agricultural spaces have motivated the community to reexamine land use planning constructs for rural Fauquier. According to the US Census of Agriculture (1992), Fauquier County witnessed a reduction in land devoted to agriculture of 27.5% from 1959 through 1992. Some of the reduction in land devoted to agriculture represents conversion for non-farm use and the purchase of farms by land speculators. Failure to maintain viable agriculture of scale into the 21st century will irrevocably degrade the quality of life for future residents and betray the county's motto of "Progress with Reverence for Heritage." The farmers in Fauquier County are truly farming in the shadow of suburbia. Agriculture is the Fauquier heritage and the endowment for the future if current elected and appointed officials evidence the political will to follow the advice of the experts engaged in a definitive course of action.
