That's what the American Farmland Trust is saying about Tennessee, which lost 159,000 acres of prime agricultural real estate between 1982 and 1992. Much of it is being sold by farmers and developed into housing subdivisions, strip shopping centers, industrial parks, entertainment complexes, and other business enterprises. It's not at all surprising, says Dr. George Smith, a UT Extension resource development specialist.
Good farmland is also good land to build on.
Since 1990, Tennessee has lost more than 7,000 farms, reflecting a national trend since the 1950s. Today, there are approximately 80,000 farms in the Volunteer State, including 11.8 million acres in production. But that's one million acres less than 10 years ago. Still, net farm income has risen during that time. Probably not, says Smith.