Nearly 100 years ago, farmland covered the vast majority of Indiana and a quarter of Hoosiers lived on farms. Today, it's estimated more than 800,000 acres have been lost in just the last 40 years.
In 2022, the American Farmland Trust ranked Indiana 44th among all states for efficient land use planning and farmland protection. One analysis predicts total global food demand to increase by 35% to 56% by 2050.
With agriculture being one of our largest industries, we must do more to determine why Indiana has lost so much prime farmland and what we can do to better protect it.
During this year's legislative session, I supported a new law to ensure the state conducts an inventory of all Indiana farmland lost between 2010 and 2022, and identifies the root causes. This is an essential first step in learning the main reasons this land is no longer used for agricultural purposes so we can consider ideas to preserve it while also supporting other economic development.
To help process this data, I supported legislation to create the Land Use Task Force, which will meet this summer and fall to study growth trends in rural, urban and suburban communities, and how they can balance economic development with conserving prime farmland.
The task force, which includes state lawmakers and representatives of key industries, will also look at land use issues and barriers to community development. Their findings and any policy recommendations will be reported by next summer to the Indiana General Assembly, which could take further action. Land Use Task Force meetings and agendas can be viewed at iga.in.gov.
Recently, I was reminded of the grit and determination of Indiana's farm families to continue doing what they love and building on their legacies despite facing so many challenges. The Beal, Craig/Day and Stipp farms from Lawrence County received Hoosier Homestead awards for being owned and operated by the same family for at least 100 years. Their longstanding commitment along with other homesteaders is an outstanding achievement and one I hope continues well into the future.
Farming and our farmland are central components of Indiana's heritage and will continue to play a major role in our future. It's important to preserve it for economic stability, and food security for our state and across the globe. If you have thoughts on this issue or others, please contact me at h65@iga.in.gov or 317-232-9850.
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State Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford) represents House District 65,
which includes all of Lawrence County, and portions of Jackson, Orange and Washington counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
