Indiana sees reduction in farmland acres

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana farmland acres decreased between 1.5% and 2%, about 350,000 acres, from 2010 to 2022, according to a report from Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

The primary cause of farmland loss was residential use.

Agricultural land was most likely to be lost in areas around the edges of cities and suburban areas.

Although there are fewer farm acres, yield data shows cash crop production has increased.

In 2012, Indiana produced over 597 million bushels of corn for grain, and in 2022 yielded over 1 billion bushels. For soybeans, the number rose from 219 million bushels in 2012 to over 326 million in 2022.

In 2023, the Indiana General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act 1557 to complete an inventory of lost farmland.

“The inventory of lost farmland was an opportunity for ISDA and legislators to gain access to reliable data, where up until now, we could only make assumptions,” said Don Lamb, ISDA director.

“This information is important to have for policy development as we work to balance economic growth, food security and the preservation of agricultural land, because we know when agriculture is strong, Indiana is, too.”

Five primary causes of reduction in farmland were:

• Agriculture to residential — more than 370,000 acres.

• Agriculture to other — more than 68,000 acres.

• Agriculture to industrial — more than 41,000 acres.

• Agriculture to commercial — more than 27,000 acres.

• Agriculture to mineral — more than 2,100 acres.