McHenry County

 



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Farm-Owner Survey: Summary of Process & Results

In July and August 2004, surveys were sent to 1420 owners of farmland in McHenry County. The mailing list included all those who receive payments from the government relative to their farmland. Additionally, several specialty growers (fruit, Christmas trees, nurseries) were added to the list even though they do not receive government payments.

Demographically, the 145 respondents seemed to mirror the farm-owning population in the County:

  • One individual under 35 years of age, 30% between 35-55, and 66% over 55 years of age.
  • Twenty-four percent own fewer than 50 acres of farmland, nearly half (48%) own between 50-200 acres, 15% own between 200-500 acres, and just 11 respondents own more than 500 acres.
  • Twenty-six percent are actively farming the land.

Among all respondents, there was great support for the mission of preserving the agricultural heritage, landscape, and economy through a farmland protection program, with 78% expressing support for the goal. Similarly, 79% expressed some level of support for the County working towards the vision of having a thriving agricultural economy in the year 2050. In both cases, only 17% of respondents said they have no support for the mission or vision.

Perhaps the most encouraging sign of support for a farmland preservation program came in response to the question of how long they would like to keep their land in agricultural production. Twenty-two percent, 32 individuals, said they would like to keep their land in ag production forever.

Also, when asked if they would be interested in a voluntary program that would allow them to keep their land in agricultural production while compensating them economically for the increasing land values in the County, 21% said yes, and an additional 23% said maybe. Only 24% said no, with the remainder saying they needed more information.