It seems like you can’t go anywhere without seeing some sort of new construction underway.  New roads going in, new homes being built, or new businesses being erected.  The US is certainly in a building phase, an exciting and thrilling prospect for those growing, improving and expanding.  Families are building their dream homes, entrepreneurs finally constructing their new building ventures, and new and much closer shopping centers, with all the infrastructure needed to make it all flow.

Amidst the progress, improvements, and fulfilled dreams, there is an underlying worry that we seem to be ignoring.  In most cases, those new homes, commercial buildings, shopping centers and roads or going in on top of ag lands, acres that had previously been used to feed the world now turned unproductive.  

The online Britannica dictionary defines urban sprawl as the rapid expansion of the geographic extent of cities and towns.  We have seen it first hand as communities have building booms, new neighborhoods and communities going up almost overnight in an almost uncontrollable fashion.  A little ag land taken out of production here and a little bit there doesn’t seem to make that big of an impact but it does.

Here are the facts- every minute, 4 acres of arable, farmable lands are taken out of production.  In a single day, 2,000 acres are lost to development.  In an entire year, the agriculture industry loses 2 million acres.  Since the year 2000, 50 million acres have been taken out of production.  Over 140,000 farms have been lost in 5 years.  At the current rate of ag land turnover, there will be little to no available arable acres in 2060.

These numbers are staggering and a little unnerving.  Are we really ever going to run out of farm land?  No, it’s unlikely.  But it is unsettling to see how fast our country is gobbling up land for expansion and development without seeing the big picture, long-term effects and lasting consequences because unfortunately, once ag lands are taken out of production, it is nearly impossible for them to return.  And of all the things we can make, more dirt isn’t one of them.  

This problem is multi-faceted and can’t alone be blamed on urban expansion.  Farming and ranching has become a different business than what it was decades ago.  With increasing expenses, labor shortages, and fluctuating markets, selling out seems like the safe way to go for producers.  The ever increasing land values and prices make it an appealing transaction for farmers and ranchers to help their bottom dollar.  Whether it is just 5 acres or 500, just a parcel of their land or everything, the payout is enticing. 

In other instances, the next generation of farmers and ranchers are either unwilling or unable to take over for aging producers.  Some don’t have the interest to come back to the family operation but others aren’t able to take on the financing of such an establishment.  Expansion and construction continues to drive land prices ever higher, beyond the reach of not only new farmers and ranchers, but even established and profitable operations.  With the ag producers out of the picture, all that is left to buy the land is developers.  

Other productive acres have been lost to energy companies looking to put wind or solar developments.  Needing significant space in order to produce substantial enough energy to make such projects worthwhile, thousands of acres have been lost to a whole different kind of farming.

Not only are we farming and ranching on fewer acres, but we are having to feed more and more mouths.  It is estimated in 2050 the worldwide population will reach 10 billion people. With so many already suffering from food insecurity, the prospect of feeding billions more seems daunting.

The benefits of farm and ranch lands aren’t only in what they produce, but also in how they support wildlife and biodiversity, help provide clean water, and decrease natural disasters like floods and fire.  

With such an ominous challenge before us, we have to ask- what can we do about it?

Honestly, I don’t know if there is much we can do. Our efforts at this point may only be a drop in a bucket, but maybe that’s all we need to turn the tide.

The first step has to be a controlled, reined in urban growth.  Development of the highest quality agricultural land should especially be avoided.  Next agricultural land losses can be minimized with more efficient urban development.  If possible, avoid rural residential development.  Implementing more conservation easements in the future could help mitigate the loss of agricultural land loss.  And in the end, encouraging a favorable agricultural climate to support farmers and ranchers and keep them from selling their productive lands.

Idaho isn’t immune to urban growth and ag land losses.  Since 2017 we have lost more than 20 million acres.  We may not be in a crisis now, but without intentional measures to protect productive acres there could be a day we are.