Title: Prime farmland - Wikipedia
Headings: Prime farmland
Prime farmland
Contents
Definition
Overlapping interests
Other designations
Demarcation of Prime Farmland
See also
References

Content: This trend is further encouraged by the widespread availability of the private automobile, continuous expansion of roadways, and relatively low-priced gasoline. USDA prime farmland designation helps growth management and resource conservation efforts in urban growth areas to use zoning and conservation easements in order to preserve prime farmland resources, maintain local economic diversity, and establish green belts. Nonprofit organizations like American Farmland Trust specialize in helping communities use these techniques. Other designations used by USDA to complement Prime Farmland are Farmland of statewide importance, Farmland of local importance, and Unique farmland. Unique farmland is land other than prime farmland that is used for the production of specific high value food and fiber crops. It has the special combination of soil quality, location, growing season, and moisture supply needed to produce economically sustained high quality and/or high yields of a specific crop when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods. Examples of crops are tree nuts, olives, cranberries, citruses and other fruits, and vegetables. Other designations
Criteria for defining and delineating these lands are determined by the appropriate state or local agencies in cooperation with USDA. The significant difference is that although the criteria are not appropriate outside the state or local area, that these lands approach the productivity of lands in their area which meet criteria for prime farmland and unique farmland. Demarcation of Prime Farmland
A universal method for the demarcation of Prime Farmland (PF) soils that considers both science and policy is highly necessary, as when PF soils occupy < 60% of an area their preservation is hard.