LOCAL ORCHARDS will often direct their produce to farmers markets, which have been growing in popularity.
DAVIS COUNTY — Farms may not be as plentiful or visible in Davis County today as they once were, but they’re far from dead.
A report by John C. Downen, research analyst for the University of Utah Bureau of Business & Economic Research, shows the contrast between farms of 1974 in Davis County and along the Wasatch Front, and 2007.
In 1974, there were 581 farms in the county compared to 496 today. Along with a drop in the number of farms, acreage has plummeted from 207 on average 26 years ago to 99 acres today.
But there are still some large spreads today. While there were nine with more than 1,000 acres in 1975, in 2007 there were three. And while there were 15 farms of 500 to 999 acres 26 years ago, there were only four in 2007.
However, nearly half of the farms listed in 2007, or 230, were in the one- to nine acre category. Davis County’s median farm size was 10 acres.
More than four in five farms, or 83 percent, were under 50 acres in size in the county.
Similarly, 81 percent of Davis County’s farms were operated under a sole proprietorship form of ownership, 401 of the 496 farms.
More than one-third, 38.5 percent, claimed farming as their primary occupation, the largest share of the four counties.
But the average age of Davis’ farmers was 61, six years older than in 1981, and the oldest along the Wasatch Front.
Davis was the only county between Salt Lake, Utah and Weber Counties, which were the subject of this study, to lose land from agriculture during that period.
“Davis County is the smallest inland area (in the state) and has a relatively high population density with 1.55 people per acre,” Downen wrote. “That makes it difficult for the county to accommodate both population growth and expanding agriculture.”
Three years ago, nearly 50,000 acres were still being cultivated. That’s still more than 65 square miles, nearly five times the size of Bountiful, or three times the size of Layton’s land area, in farmland.
However, between 2002 and 2007, 16,000 acres of farmland, or well over the size of Bountiful, was lost to farmland in Davis County.
Anyone who has lived here for long knows farms have been replaced by subdivisions, stores and other uses.
In fact, the acreage and farms have dropped from almost two-thirds (63.4 percent) in 1974, to just over one-quarter in 2007, or 25.8 percent.
Many farms have seen a change in use over the years. Only one dairy farm remains in Syracuse, and its size has been reduced as developers have built homes surrounding it. Other farms have started to grow more organic produce or produce that is sold to a regular clientele who subscribe to a particular farm’s offerings.
The Bountiful farmers market and others around the county are growing in popularity, as well, drawing farmers from nearby, such as Bangerter Farms in Bountiful, as well as from near the Idaho border to Utah County.
Community gardens have gained a foothold, such as an LDS Ward project in West Bountiful. Produce was grown and shared with many in the area from that effort. A similar project at the Utah State University Botanical Gardens in Kaysville provided many tons of food to help the needy who use the Bountiful Community Food Pantry and Family Connection Center Food Bank.
Last fall, the Salt Lake County Council approved a plan to convert unused and underused county-owned land to community gardens until it is needed for parks or infrastructure.
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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