COLUMBUS — Ohio lost nearly half a million acres of farmland last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Land in farms was 13.1 million acres, down 400,000 acres from 2021, according to a recent news release from the USDA-NASS. The number of farms is estimated to have dropped by 400, from 76,900 in 2021 to 76,500 in 2022. The average size farm in Ohio was 171 acres per farm, down 5 acres 2021.
During this time, West Virginia is esimated to have gained 200 farms, according to the USDA-NASS. Land in farms in the state stayed the same from 2021 to 2022, sitting at about 3.5 million acres. The average farm size was 156 acres, down 1 acres from 2021.
Farm numbers and land in farms unchanged in Pennsylvania. The number of farms in Pennsylvania for 2022 is estimated at 52,700 and land in farms was at 7.3 million, according to USDA data. Average farm size for 2022 was 139 acres, unchanged from the previous year.
The number of farms in the United States for 2022 is estimated at 2 million, down 9,350 farms from 2021. Total land in farms, at 893.4 million acres, decreased 1.9 acres from 2021. The average farm size for 2022 is 446 acres, up from 445 acres the previous year.
Where did the farm land that was “lost” go? Was it developed or sold off for other purposes?
There is a group in Wayne county that is working to save farmland.The Agricultural Success Team will be meeting on March 7 from 5-8 pm at the Buckeye Agricultural Museum and Education Center, 877 W. Old Lincoln Way, Wooster.Anyone interested in helping shape the future of Wayne County’s Agricultural landscape can contact Jessica Eikleberry at 330=347-7183.
I have another Question, Where was it lost? Was it near cities or in the countryside. Either way it smacks of non-ag expansion and a lose of green environment.