montgomery county today
141
¯
Pottstown
Norristown
Lansdale
Collegeville
Jenkintown
Conshohocken
476
276
76
476
t
u
422
t
u
202
611
100
309
Hatboro
Ambler
Pennsburg
73
663
29
29
73
Core Agricultural Area
Farms in Agricultural Security Areas
Preserved Farms
Agricultural or Vacant Land
FIGURE 108:
Farms and Farming Areas
•
Act 319 (the Clean and Green Act), enacted in 1974,
allows farm property owners (with at least 10 acres
devoted to agriculture or woodland use) to receive
preferential tax assessment for their land based on its
use if the land has been used for agriculture or forestry
for the previous three years. This program is overseen
locally by the county’s Board of Assessment Appeals.
A rollback tax is charged to the current landowner if and
when the use changes or if the land is removed from the
program (i.e. is not preserved under the terms of this
Act). The maximum period a rollback may be charged
is for the most recent seven years. A six percent interest
charge will be imposed on the rollback tax amount.
The Farm Economy
When the full impact of farming and food processing is
taken into account, agriculture is the state’s largest industry.
In 2007, the state had nearly $6 billion in sales of
agricultural products. According to the state’s Department
of Agriculture, dairying (specifically milk) is the principal
moneymaker in the state, with a total sales value of $1.9
billion as of the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Livestock is
crucial to Montgomery County, with 27,817 head of
livestock and poultry with a total sale value (including their
products) of $11.2 million in 2007. Milk was an important
product from the county’s livestock, with nearly $4 million
in sales. Overall, the market value of all agricultural
products produced in the county was $30 million.
The economics of farming also include numerous agri-
businesses that help to support or are supported by farming.
These include, but are not limited to, food processing plants,
equipment dealers, and various wholesalers. According to
the 2010
County Business Patterns
, there were 73 food
manufacturing establishments in the county with an annual
payroll of over $239 million (a drop from 2000 levels, but
still a significant part of the county’s economy).
Meat-
processing plants, such as Hatfield Quality Meats and
Leidy’s (found in the North Penn and Indian Valley areas),
employ a majority of these workers. Other food-related
industries include bakeries, dairy product manufacturing,
chocolate & confectionary product manufacturing, and fruit
and vegetable preserving and manufacturing.
Farms and the farming industry in Montgomery County include small
family farms, family friendly entertainment-oriented facilities, and large
industrial plants that manufacture and sell products across the region.
Source: Montgomery County Planning Commission
