The Next 10 Years for Farms in Our Rural Community

Prince William County Department of Economic Development & Tourism (PWCDEDT) held three Agritourism Community Conversations last week for residents and business owners to provide feedback about the future of agribusiness and agritourism.

County supervisors and government staff heard directly from more than 100 residents and business owners over the three days, with meetings at Brentsville Hall, Winery at La Grange, and Harbour View Events Center. Often spirited in nature, the conversations covered historic farming, land preservation, and opportunities for tourism.

As the result of three Prince William Board of County Supervisors (BOCS) directives starting in February 2024, Agritecture was hired to study the county's agricultural economy. The study kicked off in September 2025 and has been gathering benchmark data and collecting feedback from farmers in the rural communities of Prince William County via operator interviews, farm site visits, and community engagement meetings. 

During each community meeting, Agritecture Founder & CEO Henry Gordon-Smith and Systems Analyst Brakeley Bryant presented their findings, including identifying the seven gaps adversely affecting the future growth of agritourism and agribusiness in the county. Out of those gaps, Agritecture is proposing four recommendations:

• addressing farm tax treatment,

• updating zoning,

• supporting working farmers, and

• making long-term infrastructure investments.  

Check out this InsideNOVA interview: 

The study is designed to help the county build a 10-year rural economic development plan that will align with PWCDEDT's overall strategic plan.

Community business owners and residents had the opportunity to provide feedback during an open discussion time as well as using interactive polling during the presentation. The poll results provided more data for the consultants to identify trends, confirm favorable recommendations, and uncover blind spots.

The study continues leading up to a presentation of the study to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors later this year. Residents in rural communities along with agriculture-related county businesses can still exercise their voice.

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The study's survey remains open to collect feedback to inform the recommendations. The survey can be completed online through September 15, 2026. 

To stay informed of the work, follow along on the study’s dedicated PWCWorks page.