Study: Agricultural land shrinking in Greene County
GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A study by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has found that in the last decade, thousands of acres of agricultural land in Greene County have been converted for residential or commercial purposes.
According to the study, between 2014 and 2023, 6,973 acres of agricultural, farm and forest land were converted for other purposes. More than 5,000 acres of agricultural land were converted to residential in that time, along with nearly 800 acres of farmland.
Milton Orr, a livestock agent for the University of Tennessee Agriculture Extension office, said several farmers are ready for retirement, fueling in part the decrease in agricultural and farming land.
“A lot of these farmers don’t have a really structured retirement program, and with the increase in real estate prices nationwide as well as local, that land has become a good opportunity for some of these guys to ensure their future,” said Orr. “The value of that real estate now versus what they paid for is just astronomically different, and that inflates prices.”
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Orr told News Channel 11 he has seen people buy 5-10-acre plots of land for sustainable homestead farming, and population growth in the area is a factor that plays a part in the loss of farmland.
“We’re expected to double the population and right now, if you look at today, we’re feeding almost double the population that we did 50 years ago,” said Orr. “We’re still feeding twice as many people and we’re doing it with half of the resources that we have. But can we do that again between now and 2050? That’s a little scary.”
Sandi Moore has lived in Greene County for 13 years and said she is concerned about how solar farming will impact local farmers.
“These large utility-scale solar facilities coming in, and they’re paying enormous prices for agricultural land. Seems like they’re artificially inflating the price of agricultural land,” said Moore. “If you’re a farmer and you want to expand, it’s out of reach. If you’re an individual and you want to buy and maybe start a farm, it’s out of reach.”
Orr said population growth and retiring farmers are not the only factors. Modern technology allows farmers to do more with fewer resources, he said.
“The average herd size was probably 60 or 70 a few years ago; that average herd size is now down to about 35,” said Orr. “But those 35 animals can produce the same amount of product that those 60 they had a few years ago did. So the question in my mind is ‘Will technology and efficiency allow us to do that again in the future?'”
Another part of the study shows the economic impact agriculture has on Greene County. More than 4,000 workers are employed in county agriculture, which translates to an estimated more than 6,000 jobs generated by the industry.
“Farmers have already been impacted by the high cost in farm equipment, seed, fertilizer and all the useful tools in the production of our food products,” said Moore.
Moore said she feels the population growth in Greene County doesn’t have to be a negative thing, but county officials should handle that growth more efficiently. She suggested that the county create a thorough land development plan.
“They can bring in the influx of new residents in a way that’s more economical for the county,” said Moore. “Or they can try to ignore it and hope it goes away, but it won’t. I think they’re very mindful of it, and they’re trying to do a good job.”
Even with the data from the study, Orr said he still has faith that Greene County will continue to be a community with a significant stake in agriculture.
“As a prediction goes, I think we’ll see shifts in efficiency, shifts in technology, and maybe shifts in what we’re raising,” said Orr. “I think agriculture is still going to remain a very viable industry in Greene County as well as across the State of Tennessee.”
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