Land Use Policy and Agriculture: A National Perspective

More new cropland is developed each year in the United States than is lost to urban development. While 1.3 million acres are added to the Nation's cropland base each year, only about 500,000 acres are lost to urbanization, public lands (parks, reservoirs, highways), and other intensive uses. However, 2.2 million more crop acres are converted to more extensive uses such as grass and trees because of low soil fertility, terrain unsuited to modern machinery, and small uneconomic fields. This total loss of 2.7 million acres, when weighed against the new cropland developed, gives a net loss each year of 1.4 million cropland acres. This loss is not significant when compared to the national cropland base of 385 million acres and generally rising productivity levels. The United States will be able to meet its anticipated domestic food needs and moderately high export demands. Cropland losses, however, can be significant in local areas, especially where urban uses compete for the better agricultural lands. Public policy is needed to guide this competition and help assure the wise use of agricultural land. While the Federal Government, through its numerous programs and policies, indirectly has an important influence on how land is used, the authority to control private land use unmistakably rests with the States, counties, and municipalities.