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services from County and other nearby enterprises, many of which would not be considered farm supply businesses, For these businesses to survive and prosper, a core critical mass of farmers must be preserved and vice- versa.9 Though difficult to measure, these many businesses supporting agriculture undoubtedly account for a significant portion of County's employment base, C. Family Farm Statistics Family farms make up the majority of agricultural production in the county, According to the 1997 USDA Census of Agriculture, County's agriculture industry consists of predominately family owned businesses with % of farms owned by individuals or families. Partnerships and family corporations account for % of the remaining farms. In 1974, there were # farms in County, Since that time the number of farms has declined to # farms, In that same time period, the average farm size has also decreased from # acres to # acres. In 1997, over % of County farms were # acres or more in size. This has fluctuated no more than % since 1974, There has been a steady decline since 1974 of the number of farms that are 50 to 179 acres. 10 There has also been a dramatic increase in the number of farms between 10 and 49 acres ( %) and those that are less than 10 acres ( %), In 1997, % of County farmers considered farming to be their principal occupation, a decrease of % from 1992. Approximately % of farmers currently work full-time on the farm. However, many farm families now depend greatly on off-farm employment, presumably to offset the low profitability of agriculture. II E. Farm Land Use Trends According to the 1997 Census of Agriculture, County had _ _ acres in farms, representing % of the total county land base. These lands included acres of harvested cropland, acres of pasture land, acres of forestland, and acres ofland enrolled in the federal Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program,I2 In the 1992 Census, the county had acres in farms or of the land base, a decrease (or increase) of % over the five year period between surveys,I3 F. Agricultural Soils Soils in County are for the most part well suited to agricultural uses. Altogether about % of active and inactive farmland in the county are Class I, II, or III soils (Soil Survey of County, NRCS, (date)) These classes define the suitability of various soils for agricultural uses, based on limitations of the soils, range of usefulness for agriculture, the risk of environmental damage such as erosion when they are used for agriculture, and how easily their limitations can be overcome by remedial measures. Class I soils are soils 3 \-\ - 3