A recent study shows that 1.6 million acres have been lost to development since 2001

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A recent study shows that 1.6 million acres have been lost to development since 2001

A recent report from the University of Illinois shows that the Midwest has lost 1.6 million acres of productive farmland since 2001.

Ohio State University professor emeritus Carl Zulauf says the loss represents 1 percent of all farmland in eight states.

“The loss of agricultural land reduces the production capacity of the country or actually has a greater impact on increasing yields,” he says.

Indiana State Department of Agriculture Director Don Lamb says his state has published a similar study.

“Both studies tell you that people are interested in this,” he says. “I mean, to me, that’s the biggest thing there is that we’re starting to pay attention. We’ve been paying attention for a while. And if you’re going to do something about it, the first step is just knowing the information.”

Since 2010, Indiana has lost 2% of its farmland.

Both studies attribute the loss to a developmental increase.

“You can look at both studies and try to look at how accurate it is and how perfect everything is,” he says. “And it’s not perfect. That is, there is not perfect information. So now we have a baseline, and from now on, the more often we do that, the more often we take those surveys and the more often we collect the information, the more accurate it will be.”

To view the University of Illinois study, click here.