America is losing its farm land

Millions of acres of America's agricultural lands were paved over, fragmented, or converted to uses that threaten farming between 2001 and 2016 according to a new report from the American Farmland Trust : Farms Under Threat. 

The report highlights the destructive effects of low density residential land use on working farmland. Of the 11 million acres of U.S. farmland lost between 2001 and 2016, seven million acres were converted to low density residential use.

Rainshadow Farms

Though the Farms Under Threat report praises Oregon's iconic land use planning system, Oregon too has been losing farmland at an alarming rate. According to the USDA 2017 Census of Agriculture, 340,000 acres fell out of agricultural production in Oregon from 2012-2017. Since 1997 the state has lost nearly 10% of its farmland.

Webinar July 23rd, 2020

Join American Farmland Trust and 1000 Friends of Oregon for a conversation about the threats to Oregon’s farmland on Thursday at noon. Register now.

In Oregon, where 97% of our farms are family owned, protecting working family farms and ranches is also protecting a way of life. Farm and ranch lands provide valuable wildlife habitat, groundwater recharge, open space, and scenic vistas. A working agricultural landscape provides rural income and employment, supporting vibrant rural communities. Low density rural development destroys these cultural values by driving up land prices, making it impossible for young farmers to afford to buy a farm.

Once converted to nonfarm use, land is unlikely to ever return to agricultural production. LandWatch is committed to ensuring Deschutes County follows the law, and to conserving our local working farmlands.