Fauquier County, VA

Fauquier County, located approximately 40 miles west of the Nation's Capital in northern Virginia, is roughly rectangular in shape and covers approximately 660 square miles. The County is bounded to the west by Culpeper and Rappahannock counties, to the south by Stafford County, to the north by Loudoun, Warren, and Clarke counties, and to the east by Prince William County.

The County spans three geological provinces- the Blue Ridge, the Culpeper (Triassic Basin), and the Piedmont. The northwestern half of the County, which is dominated by the Blue Ridge, is characterized by mountainous and rolling terrain, while the central portion, which is dominated by the Culpeper Basin, is nearly level to gently rolling. The extreme southeastern portion, which is dominated by the Piedmont, is gently rolling to rolling in nature.

Forest vegetation covers approximately one-third of the County's land area, while the remainder is largely open land utilized for a variety of agricultural purposes. The diverse geological character of Fauquier County has resulted in an area which is abundantly rich in natural resources and a physiography which is exceptionally scenic in nature.

Agricultural Acreage in 2007: 222,486 acres
Number of Farms: 1,222
Number of Farm Markets: 5
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/vagrown/frmsmkts.shtml
Top three to five Agricultural Products: Cattle, horses, dray products, hay crops, fruits, tree nuts & berries.

Total Local Economic Contribution of Agriculture:

• Revenue from agriculture: $47,981,000.
• Revenue per farm average $39,264,
• Crop sales $10,213,000 (21%)
• Livestock Sales $ 37,767,000 (79%)

Other Farm-Related Products or Activities in the County: Wineries, berry farms, pick-your-own farms and agri-tourism

Agricultural Lands protected: 86,389 (Source: Piedmont Environmental Council 2009)

Principal Agricultural Contacts:

Fauquier Agricultural Development Department:
Ray Pickering, (540) 349-5314
ray.pickering@fauquiercounty.gov

Fauquier County Cooperative Extension:
Tim Mize, Ag. Agent (540) 341-7950
tmize@vt.edu

Fauquier County Farm Bureau:
Judy McConnell, President, (540) 347-3172