By Andi Anderson
According to a new report from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), approximately 350,000 acres of farmland have been lost to development between 2010 and 2022.
This lost land inventory report is the result of House Enrolled Act 1557, which directed ISDA to complete the report as a baseline for future recommendations.
The results show that agricultural land was most likely to be lost in areas around the edges of cities and suburban areas, with residential development being the primary cause. Don Lamb, Director of Agriculture for ISDA, stated that the amount of farmland lost was not surprising.
“The reality is that we're losing quite a bit of farmland; it’s significant,” Lamb said. “And it's something that we ought to be keeping an eye on. It is time to be looking at it for the future.”
Lamb also mentioned that there needs to be a balance between economic development and preserving agriculture. “We all want our state to be a business-friendly state,” he said.
“We want it to be someplace people want to come and want to live, because that's really good for all of us. But agriculture does play a huge role in that, and the state's foundation, economically, really has always been agriculture. And it is important part of who we are.”
Despite the loss in acreage, yield data shows that Indiana’s production of its cash crops has increased. In 2012, Indiana produced over 597 million bushels of corn for grain, and in 2022 yielded over 1 billion bushels.
Indiana produced nearly 219 million bushels of soybeans in 2012 and saw that number increase to over 326 million in 2022.
ISDA outlined several recommendations within the report to the Legislative Council, including that legislation be passed directing ISDA to update the inventory of lost farmland every five years, starting in 2029 for a report to be published in 2030.
The report emphasizes the importance of monitoring farmland loss and encourages discussions on balancing development with agricultural preservation to ensure the future of Indiana’s agricultural industry.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jimfeng
Categories: Indiana, General