The loss of agricultural land to different types of development is a long-standing topic at the national and state level.
The University of Illinois’ Farmdoc Daily says development accounted for 55 percent of the 1.6 million acres lost in eight Midwestern states during the 21st Century. The states include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The National Land Cover Database says agricultural land in the eight Midwest states dropped from 150,312,467 acres in 2001 to 148,716,812 acres in 2021. That’s a total drop of almost 1.6 million acres. Of that number, 877,386 acres were converted to developed land, likely due to urbanization, infrastructure expansion, or other development activities. Development accounted for the biggest loss in Iowa, totaling 90 percent of the lost farmland between 2001 and 2021. Illinois lost the largest number of acres at 155,653. Almost 81 percent of lost land occurred because of urban area expansion.
