Change in Total Acres Developed 1. Texas 2,612,000 2. Georgia .1,819,500 4. Pennsylvania .1,554,300 1982-1997 Change in Total Acres Developed as a percentage of state s total land area 1. Food grown on domestic farms ensure a safer, more predictable food supply.
Agriculture is crucial to local economic stability.
Farmland improves quality of life by providing open space and supporting the agrarian culture of many communities. North Carolina is ranked seventh in the nation for market value per acre of farmland. Loss of Farmland America loses 2 acres of farmland per minute or 1 million acres annually . According to the American Farmland Trust, North Carolina ranks second in the nation for the amount of prime farmland converted to urban uses. The total number of farms in North Carolina dropped from 68,000 in 1988, to 60,000 in 1992, and then to 49,406 in 1997.