The Agriculture and Forestry industries are vital to maintaining the ecological integrity and scenic value of our rural landscapes while contributing substantial benefits to the region's economy. Since 2012, Local Government Council (LGC) staff have worked with various area economic development officials, agricultural extension agents, and experts in the field of agricultural development to explore measures to strengthen the region’s agricultural economy.
LGC staff and Extension Agents have published a survey for both producers and consumers to help identify needs in the region’s forestry and agricultural sectors. This survey will be used in discussions about updating the Region 2000 agriculture/forestry strategic plan.
In the Region 2000 area, Agriculture has had a direct economic impact of $1.46 billion providing over 5,000 jobs. In addition, Forestry has had an $806.1 million direct economic impact with over 2,500 jobs, and is continuing to grow (Economic Impacts of the Agriculture and Forest Industries in Virginia, June 2013).
The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/promoteag
