STATEHOUSE (May 3, 2023) – State Rep. Kendell Culp's (R-Rensselaer) pair of bills will work together to help uncover why Indiana is losing prime farmland and what can be done about it are now laws.
With House Enrolled Act 1557, the Indiana State Department of Agriculture will conduct an inventory of all the farmland lost in the state between 2010 and 2022, and identify the causes of the losses.
"We really need to see how much of our prime Hoosier farmland has been lost these last 12 years," Culp said. "Then we can start to understand the causes and use the data from this inventory to help make recommendations for more efficient land use."
According to the ISDA, a total of 831,000 acres of farmland has been lost in Indiana since 1982. Last year, the American Farmland Trust ranked Indiana 44th among all states in efficient land use planning and farmland protection.
Culp, vice chair of the House Environmental Affairs Committee, said he authored House Enrolled Act 1132 to create the Land Use Task Force to take a deep dive into growth trends in rural, urban and suburban communities, as well as how they can better position themselves to attract economic development and protect prime farmland. The task force will also look at barriers to community growth and areas where food insecurity exists.
"Agriculture is at the core of who we are and what we do here in Indiana," Culp said. "We must be vigilant and aware of how we can protect prime farmland while also attracting economic development and propelling the state forward."
The 13-member task force will include three members from the Indiana Senate, three members from the Indiana House of Representatives and seven lay members from key industries, including agriculture, business, development, economic, food and beverage, local government, planning, real estate and zoning. Their findings and any policy recommendations will be reported to the Indiana General Assembly, which could take further action.
As a freshman legislator, these are Culp's first bills to be signed into law. To learn more, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) represents House District 16,
which includes portions of Jasper, Pulaski, Starke and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
