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New data to help farmers, agriculture industry

The president of American Farmland Trust says new research collected in partnership with the USDA and Conservation Science Partnership has revealed a decline in US farmland over the past 30 years.

“Since 1982, 41 million acres- that averages out to about 100 acres every hour,” he says.

John Piotti tells Brownfield the data will help leaders in the ag industry make changes necessary to keep farmland in production.

He says farmers will also be able to improve their bottom line by using state-by-state data that will be released next month.

“It will help farmers make smarter decisions about the future,” he says. “We’re going to look at what has happened, so you know for instance as a farmer, if you were in the wave of development that might push you out of farming.”

Piotti says the data also dives into the future of agriculture regarding development and climate change.

“we’ll have a better sense on how a piece of land will fare if precipitation changes, or if a number of degree growing changes,” he says.

He says this will help farmers and policy makers insure that farmland remains in production.

For more information visit www.farmland.org.

Audio: John Piotti, American Farmland Trust