What's happening to all the American farmland?

We lost 21 million acres of American farmland from 2017 to 2023. In order to combat the problem, we need to first identify what is happening while incentivizing younger people to become farmers.

I visited an orchard about 20-minutes away from my farm this week to buy some apples and straw. This orchard sells bales of straw for only $7, which if you’re in the business of buying straw for animals, you know that’s a darn good deal.

I was greeted by a similar sight I see at all the farms in the Upstate New York region: an individual over the age of 65 had to walk up a steep hill to meet us at the farm store. Every single time I patronize these local farms, they’re run by, usually, a couple in their 70s. Their kids are nowhere to be found, many of which went to college in far away cities, never to return. Others have told me their kids just aren’t interested in ‘picking apples’ or ‘milking cows’ with mom and dad. And still others never had kids, or lost their kids along the way.

I strike up conversation with these farm owners, half out of my burning curiosity to know more about a multi-generation farming operation.

Every single time, the farmer looks back at me, sullen in appearance, letting me know that there isn’t really a plan in place once they pass on. Most of the time, these farm owners hobble to their farm stands, usually unable to walk upright after decades of grueling work. They are so worn and tired that they don’t have it in them to configure a creative arrangement that passes the farm onto the right people.

And developers know this all too well.

According to the American Farmland Trust, most farmland is being converted into residential and urban development. From 2017 until 2023, the USDA reported that 21 million acres of farmland in the U.S. was ‘lost’ to development and commercial projects.

“Farmland loss isn’t rapid, but it’s continuous,” said Sam Smidt in this article.

Farmland is considered an ‘easy investment’ to convert into developments. Farmland is usually cleared, worked, mowed, or hayed, which means development companies don’t need to tear down trees, level hills and mountains, and prepare the land for high-rise structures.

Additionally, the development companies strike when the farmer is aging, tired, potentially riddled with farming debts due to mounting taxes and regulations levied against American farmers, and unsure about the future of the operation. Local farmers have told me that Wall Street has quite literally come knocking with a check to ‘take their farm off their hands.’

It’s 2025 - certainly we can sprawl UP instead of OUT

Development companies defend their decision to swallow up farmland as a way to provide ‘necessary housing for urban sprawl.’ Yet, as of 2023, 83% of the U.S. population lives in an urban area - more than ever before in U.S. history. The farmland in question is typically a 30+ minute drive outside of these urban areas - so what’s really the angle here?

I look to a country like Saudi Arabia that is building one of the world’s first vertical cities, the Line, that will demonstrate we have the capabilities and technology to utilize the space ABOVE US without taking out the land that FEEDS us. There is room and innovation to absolutely double the carrying capacity of every city in this country. One could argue that gardens and green spaces could be added to these cities to help feed us as well - and that’s absolutely true. I believe we are at the very beginning of an urban gardening revolution that’s going to change city landscapes forever.

As for the farmland that’s supported this nation since its founding, the answer does not reside in absorbing millions of acres of critically important, environmentally supportive farmland that’s miles outside of city centers to build (often) unaffordable apartments and houses incoming millennials and Gen Z can’t afford anyway.

Our farmland holds the story of this country, the history of the peoples who call this nation home. Farmers carry invaluable knowledge about farming practices, surrounding ecology, animal welfare, and regenerative farming ideals (this is on the rise). Taking out this land wipes out the backbone of our country.

I am not implying this is a coordinated effort at the top, though that could certainly be argued when it comes to the reduction of farms in this country. I am sounding the alarm to inspire more young people, ages 20 to 40, to consider either going into the business of farming, OR, more importantly, taking over managing one of these farms before Wall Street buys it up.

When I talk to these aging farmers and suggest solutions like seller financing, leasing farmland, or charitable remainder trusts, every single one of them is open to those arrangements. None of these farmers want to watch their fields turn into commercial shopping strips. But at age 78, with a bum knee, an exhausted body, and no help on the horizon, they don’t know what else to do.

We need young people to do the following:

• Visit these farms and farm stands: get in the car and drive to any farm that pops up on Google Maps (I am not suggesting to trespass here). Get out of the car and talk to the farmers. They are the nicest people in the world. Ask them about their operation and talk to them about trusts. Maybe they are wanting an apprentice to pass on their knowledge!

• Willing become first-generation farmers: I am doing this as we speak. Is it easy? Yes and no. Is it hard work? Yes. Is it healing my mind, body, and soul? Yes. We are so detached from nature and working our land today that people are buying things like ‘grounding mats’ to imitate the benefits of walking outside barefoot.

• Lease acres from farmers: that’s how it all begins! Many farmers will lease 5-10 acres for less than $1,000/month. Guess what happens next? You’ll get to know the farmer and their family. A bond will form. One thing leads to another, and you’ve inherited the farm when the farmer passes on.

I will leave you with this. Earlier this week, I drove through my home village to attend my best friend’s grandma’s funeral. It was a classy service and a perfect send-off for a woman who deeply cared about plants and nature. On my way back to my farm, I passed a big hay field I loved to look at growing up (directly across the street from an orchard). My jaw nearly dropped when I was greeted by rows of solar panels as far as the eye could see. Just like that, the farmland was gone, littered with solar panels that could have just as effectively lined the tops of stores, commercial shopping strips, bus stations, and malls. I am all for futuristic energy - but taking out farmland to make way for a solar panel, which cannot be recycled, is not the way to do it.

I don’t know about you, but what makes life worth living is looking out the car window on a breezy evening in May, watching the sun set over freshly baled hay, with horses whinnying in the distance, flicking their tails and flaring their nostrils after running across the field to get to their stalls as nightfall moves in.

All of that will be gone, forever, if we cede this farmland to developers and solar farms. I believe futuristic technology, innovation, and ‘solarpunk’ arrangements can coexist with idyllic rural settings that should be protected and preserved. We CAN have it all. But an alarm needs to be sounded about the current trajectory, or we could be staring down a food autonomy crisis in the very near future.

I cover all things land loans, starting new farms, farmland financing, agricultural structures, and more here on this channel. Follow along!