White County farmland conversion is causing an agricultural demise

Has anyone taken a Sunday drive around the county lately?  If so, it is obvious that things are looking somewhat different down most backroads in White County. One can’t help but notice all the new neighbors.  According to some recent data, it’s not just White County.  Farmland is being converted to alternative uses all across Tennessee.

The University of Tennessee Center of Farm Management has been tracking farmland conversion, in Tennessee, and recently shared that from 1997 through 2017, Tennessee lost an astounding 1.1 million acres of agricultural land.  That loss of ag and forestry land is equal to 55,601 acres/year for the state or even 152 acres/day. If you thought those numbers were staggering, USDA National Agricultural Statistics shows that Tennessee lost 237 acres per day since 2017.

What is all this farmland being converted to?  Those new neighbors need a place to live, and the majority of this farmland is being converted for residential purposes.  New home construction has exploded in White County, with over 740 new homes being built since January 2020. 

Will growth and development ever slow down for this area or is it just the new norm? There are many positives to this community growth, including small business development, increased tax base, and numerous jobs for those folks in the construction business. However, this expansive growth is taking a toll on the agricultural community.  According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, White County has gone from 131,652 acres in farmland, in 2007, to 107,015 acres, in 2022.  That’s an 18.7 percent decrease in total farming acres in 15 years.  During that same time period, the total number of farms has declined from 1,036 in 2007 to only 815 farms in 2022.

Writer’s note: As you sit there and digest all this data, realize that White County has always been a strong, agricultural community.  Every family that has lived here for generations could share stories about the hard times of farm life through the years. To me and many of you, farming is a way of life. This agricultural heritage is now being challenged as we lose generational farms to houses. I can certainly see why everyone wants to be a part of this great community.  They see all the things that some of us have enjoyed for a lifetime.  All I can ask is that you recognize the importance of agriculture to our local economy and that you appreciate the hard-working farmer.