Loss of US Farmland in the 21st Century, Part II: Regional Perspective for Major Land Use Categories from the Census of Agriculture

This article continues the examination of changes in US farmland during the 21st Century that began with the farmdoc daily article of September 18, 2024. Specifically, changes in major farmland use categories are examined by US region between the 1997 and 2022 Censuses of US Agriculture. Land in farms declined in all nine regions used in this article. Pastureland led the decline. The decline in pastureland was likely facilitated by the growth in confinement livestock operations, a reminder that farm sector factors beyond crop returns have important impacts on US farmland. Planted cropland declined in all regions except the Northern Plains and Mid-South. Even though the Midwest planted fewer acres, its share of total farmland planted to crops increased as other farmland was converted to planted cropland. More broadly, specialization occurred in the use of US farmland. The Midwest and regions that extensively border it are specializing in the planting of crops, while the Northeast is specializing in woodland.