Farms Give Way to Development


Land values, particularly in the Sunbelt and Southwest, are making it attractive for farmers to sell their land to developers. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that nearly 16 million acres of America's agricultural and forest lands were developed between 1992 and 1997.

While the conversion of farmland doesn't yet pose a threat to the nation's agricultural productivity, it is not without cost. Luckily, America's farmers are 245 percent more productive today than 50 years ago. However, in some instances, unique and high-producing land is being converted to developed uses.

For the five-year study period, the annual conversion rate in Texas jumped from 139,000 acres to 243,900 acres. One of the highest rates of development was in Pennsylvania, where 1.1 million acres were converted during the study period.

Farmland Lost to Development (in acres)
State Rank Change in Total Land Developed Average Annual Conversion Rate
Texas 1 1,219,500 243,900
Pennsylvania 2 1,123,200 224,060
Georgia 3 1,053,200 210,640
Florida 4 945,300 189,060
North Carolina 5 781,500 156,300
California 6 694,800 138,960
Tennessee 7 611,600 122,320
Michigan 8 550,800 110,160
South Carolina 9 539,700 107,940
Ohio 10 521,200 104,240
Source: Progressive Farmer, Jan. 2000

A 1996 federal farm law set aside $35 million over six years to supplement state and local efforts to curb development of farmland, but the fund was depleted after just three years. Bills are pending in Congress to renew the programs at a cost of $55 million every year.

Related info...
Farms.com - an online market for real estate, cattle, etc.

The copyright of the article Farms Give Way to Development in American Agriculture is owned by Rena Larranaga. Permission to republish Farms Give Way to Development in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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