Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan
Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan
Allegheny River Headwaters Watershed Conservation Plan
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<strong>Allegheny</strong> <strong>River</strong> <strong>Headwaters</strong> <strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>Plan</strong><br />
Chapter 2. Land Resources<br />
Table 2-2. Agricultural and Forestry Statistics for<br />
McKean and Potter Counties<br />
McKean Potter<br />
General Statistics<br />
Acres in County 628,229 691,987<br />
Acres of Forestland in County 518,251 593,362<br />
Acres of Agriculture in County 31,411 62,279<br />
% Area Forested 78% 78%<br />
% Area Agriculture 5% 9%<br />
% Forestland Privately Owned 68.3% 47.5%<br />
Estimated # Forestland Owners 16,380 12,012<br />
Economic Contributions<br />
# Forestry and Wood Product<br />
Industries<br />
# Employees in Forestry and Wood<br />
Product Industries<br />
Annual Economic Contribution<br />
from Forestry and Wood Product<br />
Industries (in millions)<br />
Annual Economic Contribution<br />
from Agricultural Industries<br />
(in millions)<br />
(Jacobson & Kovach, 2009)<br />
39 18<br />
1,106 295<br />
93.43 38.91<br />
5.23 7.49<br />
industry, ranking fourth nationally<br />
for the production of milk and ice<br />
cream. Many livelihoods are based<br />
on the agricultural industry.<br />
The number of farms and the<br />
amount of farmland has been<br />
steadily declining. In some areas,<br />
development pressures are to<br />
blame. It is more profitable for<br />
landowners to sell their properties,<br />
as opposed to farming them. In<br />
1959, Pennsylvania had 100,051<br />
farms covering 11.9 million acres,<br />
and by 2001, there were 59,000<br />
farms covering 7.7 million acres.<br />
Within the <strong>Allegheny</strong><br />
headwaters region, agricultural<br />
production—although ranked the<br />
second major land use—is limited<br />
by the availability of land for<br />
agricultural uses. The<br />
mountainous terrain dominant<br />
throughout the region is not<br />
suitable for agricultural endeavors.<br />
Among the 13 soil associations in<br />
the watershed, four are ideal for<br />
farming, while another six can accommodate agricultural activities with limitations, such as seasonally<br />
high water tables, slow permeability, and flooding. Pasture and hay—accounting for 91.5 percent—<br />
dominate the watershed’s agricultural lands.<br />
Only seven percent of the landscape within McKean and Potter counties is used for agricultural<br />
endeavors. Among Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Potter County ranked 41 st and McKean County ranked<br />
62 nd in total value of agricultural products sold. Potter County also ranked first in acres of sweet corn,<br />
third in vegetables harvested, and eighth in value of sales of vegetables, melons, potatoes, and sweet<br />
potatoes (National Agricultural Statistics Services [NASS], 2009).<br />
The total market value of agriculture in McKean and Potter counties increased eight percent between<br />
2002 and 2007 (NASS, 2009). McKean County’s market value of production for 2002 was $5,185,000.<br />
Potter County’s market value of production for 2002 was $31,377,000.<br />
Table 2-3. Agricultural Lands and Value by County<br />
McKean<br />
Potter<br />
2007 2002<br />
Percent<br />
Change 2007 2002<br />
Percent<br />
Change<br />
Number of Farms 313 265 18% 378 343 10%<br />
Land in Farms (acres) 41,466 41,634 0% 88,457 94,396 -6%<br />
Market Value of Production (thousands) $5,185 $4,792 8% $31,377 $26,442 19%<br />
Crop Sales (thousands) $867 $1,046 -17% $6,353 $9,371 -32%<br />
Livestock Sales (thousands) $4,318 $3,746 15% $25,024 $17,071 47%<br />
(Source: NASS, 2004; NASS, 2009)<br />
2-9
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