Tennessee has lost over 200 acre

Tennessee has lost over 200 acres of farmland each day to development, data shows

It’s a statistic that prompted the state to use $2 million to fund a local planning agency from the Institute of Public Service

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Tennessee has lost more than 200 acres of farmland each day since 2017, according to data gathered by the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture. It’s a statistic that prompted the state to use $2 million to fund a local planning agency from the Institute of Public Service.

UT’s public service institute works with state and local governments, manufacturers, and law enforcement to provide training and consulting about Tennessee’s rapidly growing need to plan for an increased population.

Dr. Charley Martinez with UT helped conduct the study, which discovered the amount of farmland that’s been lost. While he said there’s been a loss in East Tennessee, he said it is more prevalent elsewhere right now.

“Now, those higher rates are occurring in Middle Tennessee. East Tennessee has had a lot of change over time, but the rate it’s changing isn’t as much as Middle Tennessee,” said Martinez.

Before Gov. Bill Haslam closed them in 2011, state planning offices were operated by the state’s economic and community development department. Prompted by an increase in development across the state, in 2022 and 2023, the Department of Agriculture asked UT to start collecting data on farmland loss.

Knox County Commissioner and cattle farmer Adam Thompson said that in 2023, Knox County approved a record high of more than 5,000 residential permits.

While he understands his role as a county commissioner is to work to help grow and improve Knox County, he’s prioritizing preserving the farmland that’s left in the area.

“My concern isn’t about who wants to move here, it’s about the folks who are already here. Where are they going to live? Where are they going to grow up?” said Thompson.

Martinez, who conducted the study, said that if this trend continues, it will impact the price of fresh and locally grown food at stores, adding that you may already be noticing it with the price of beef.

At the state level, Gov. Bill Lee officially signed the Farmland Preservation Act, which allows farm owners to put their land into a conservation easement, which would prevent the land from being sold or transferred. In return, the land owner would be eligible to receive grant money from a $25,000,000 allotment of money set aside by state leaders.