Balancing Growth and the Future of Farmland

For farmers and ranchers, land is more than a place to grow a crop or raise livestock. It is where families build their livelihood and hope to create an opportunity for the next generation.

Across the country, competition for that land is growing. Housing, businesses, solar projects and data centers all demand more space. At the same time, high land values and a difficult farm economy are making it harder for farmers to buy or rent the land they need—and harder for families to turn down development offers that may provide more financial certainty than farming does today. That challenge is compounded by the fact that nearly four out of every five rented acres of farmland are owned by non-operating landlords, leaving decisions about much of the land farmers depend on with people who may have little connection to agriculture.

That raises an important question: How do we make room for growth while ensuring America continues to have the farmland needed to feed our nation?

Farmland Conversion Has Lasting Effects

Since 1982, developed land in the United States has increased by nearly 48 million acres, an area roughly the size of Nebraska. During the same period, cropland declined by 55.7 million acres. Not every acre that leaves agricultural production is permanently lost. Farmland may shift between crops, pasture, and conservation uses depending on markets and the needs of a farm.

Commercial and real estate development is different: it’s much more likely to be permanent. Once farmland is covered by roads, buildings or other infrastructure, it is unlikely to return to agriculture. Sadly, we can all point to places where farms used to be. The impact is felt most at the local level. A solar project, data center or new subdivision may represent a small piece of America’s total land base, but it’s not small to the farmers and ranchers already competing for limited space. Paving over farmland with expensive development projects can raise nearby land values, splinter off fields, and raise costs for water, power and other infrastructure.

Productive farmland is critical to our nation’s economic and food security. When farms disappear, we also risk losing the businesses and rural communities that depend on a strong farm economy.

Balancing Economic Growth with Farmland Preservation

Farmers understand that communities need housing, dependable energy, and new opportunities for economic growth. Data centers and solar projects can bring jobs, investment, and tax revenue to rural communities. The key is to plan wisely and consider the long-term impact of where development takes place.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Farmers and other landowners must be able to make decisions about their own property, and rural communities should have a meaningful voice in projects that will shape them for decades. Whenever possible, development should avoid productive farmland, minimize the fragmentation of working farms, and consider whether land could return to agricultural use in the future. We can support economic development while also recognizing that productive farmland is a limited resource.

Farm Viability Is Key to Farmland Preservation

The best way to preserve farmland is to make sure farmers and ranchers can afford to keep farming it. Farm families are dealing with record high costs, tight margins, and land prices that often reflect what a developer can pay rather than what a farmer can earn from a crop. When farming does not provide a sustainable return, families may have few choices when a development offer arrives.

Farmers need a modernized farm bill, stronger markets, a reliable workforce, and a regulatory environment that allows them to remain competitive. Young and beginning farmers also need a realistic path to access land. Nearly 40% of U.S. agricultural land is rented, so decisions made by landowners, trusts and heirs play a major role in determining who gets the opportunity to farm.

The decisions we make today will have consequences for generations. Keeping productive land in agriculture will help rural communities thrive and ensure farmers and ranchers can continue producing the food, fuel and fiber America’s families depend on.