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Figure 2. Total Farm Acreage & Number of Farms <br />900,000 <br />804,000 <br />700,000 <br />600,000 <br />500,000 <br />400,000 <br />300,00* <br />200,000 <br />100,000 <br />0 <br />1982 1987 <br />Anoka <br />Oak ota <br />Washington <br />1992 1997 2002 2007 <br />Carver <br />Ramsey <br />Number o <br />Hennepin <br />Scott <br />6000 <br />5000 <br />4000 <br />300* n <br />47, <br />2000 z <br />1000 <br />0 <br />Figure 4. ILLUSTRATIVE MAP: Example of Lands Enrolled in <br />Agricultural Preserves and Green Acres Programs, 2013 <br />Agricultural Preserves <br />Green Acres <br />ameliorate the effects of the urban heat <br />island, slow stormwater runoff, and help <br />filter the air we breathe. <br />Soil Resources <br />Agriculture has been an important shaper <br />and supporter of the development of the <br />region. The abundance of rich soils close <br />to the Mississippi River led to the <br />development of early food milling <br />companies like Pillsbury. Many of these <br />early companies have grown to include <br />some of the largest food and agricultural <br />businesses in the world, including Cargill <br />and General Mills. As shown in Figure 4, <br />the region is a soil -rich environment, with <br />prime agricultural soils dominating the <br />rural landscape, particularly in Carver, <br />Dakota, and Scott Counties. Prime <br />agricultural soils are defined by the <br />Natural Resources Conservation Service, <br />a division of the United States <br />Department of Agriculture, in the Land <br />Capability Classification. The Land <br />Capability Classification designates soils <br />as part of one of eight classes based on <br />their characteristics including soil type, <br />slope, location, depth, and texture among <br />others. Classes I, II, and III are <br />considered prime for cultivation. <br />Like in other metropolitan regions, <br />farmland in the Twin Cities has <br />experienced development pressures as <br />the region has grown. Both the total <br />number of farms and the total acreage in <br />farms in the seven counties has declined <br />over the last 30 years." There appears to <br />be some leveling in both the acreage and <br />number of farms since the late 1990s. <br />This could be attributed to a number of <br />reasons, including reduced outward <br />pressures for development due to the <br />" Census of Agriculture. United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. <br />www.agcensus.usda.gov Accessed November 2013. <br />DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT <br />Last revised: February 21, 2014 67 <br />