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ERS research reports and articles on Land Use, Value, and Management
Major Land Uses
Major
Uses of Land in the United States, 2002 —This series is the
only consistent historical accounting of major land uses, public
and private, in all 50 States. The latest inventory of U.S. major
land uses finds that total cropland area in 2002 was 442 million
acres, its lowest level since 1945. Several other classes and
subclasses of land are considered, including forest uses, pasture
and range, urban, and special uses such as parks and recreation
areas. See also Major
Land Uses for State-level data since 1945 and for national-level
annual cropland data since 1910.
Agricultural Resources and
Environmental Indicators—ERS basebook contains a wealth
of information covering a broad range of subjects in resource and
environmental economics.
Agricultural Land Use Change
Greenbelts?
Not Without Greenbacks—In the last 30 years, the urbanized
area in the United States has more than doubled to 3 percent of
all land, with over a third coming from cropland and pasture. ERS
estimates that 95 million acres of cropland-about one-fifth of
the U.S. total-is subject to varying degrees of development pressure,
or urban influence. Potential for continued development has spurred
efforts to protect farmland and its many benefits-agricultural
production, rural lifestyles, wildlife habitat, rural vistas, and
open space. This articles addresses voluntary incentives for farmland
owners to keep their land undeveloped.
Rural Residential
Land Use: Tracking Its Growth—Among the most rapidly
growing land uses in the U.S. is land for rural residences.
Residential land use in rural areas has increased more rapidly
than in urban areas, in percentage terms and in absolute numbers.
While land in residential use in rural areas is a small proportion
of total U.S. land use, this phenomenon has implications for
farmland prices and the availability of land for agriculture
and forestry, and can affect rural amenities and the rural
environment.
Development at the Urban Fringe
and Beyond: Impacts on Agriculture and Rural Land—Examines
forces driving urban development, its character and impacts
on agriculture and rural communities, the means available to
channel and control growth, and the pros and cons of potential
Federal roles in responding to urban development and growth.
Development
at and Beyond the Urban Fringe: Impacts on Agriculture—Urbanization
and development are affecting the nature of U.S. agriculture,
particularly at the urban fringe. Development at and beyond
the urban fringe is following two routes: incremental expansion
of urban areas, and scattered large-lot residential development
in rural areas (greater than 1 acre per house). These patterns
of development are creating conditions in which a variety of
metro farm types coexists, reflecting different adaptations
to urban influence.
Urban
Influence and the U.S. Vegetable Industry—Describes agricultural
and nonagricultural uses of land as they relate to the U.S. vegetable
industry and analyzes historical Census data related to vegetable
acreage in metropolitan counties.
Agricultural Land Values
Higher Cropland
Values from Farm Program Payments: Who Gains?—Government
commodity program payments are estimated to have added
nearly $62 billion to U.S. farmland values, as farmland
value depends largely on expected future earnings, including
program payments. For many farm operators who own land,
farmland value increases are favorable. But for operators
who pay more to buy land, appreciated values add to the
fixed cost of production, largely related to higher financing
costs and/or real estate taxes. Operators who lease farmland
may pay higher rents that reflect their receipt of some
of the government payments.
Government
Payments to Farmers Contribute to Rising Land Values—Value
of agricultural land depends largely on its expected future earnings
from farming. Government payments indirectly support farmland values
and contribute to higher rents. The contribution of government payments
to U.S. farmland value rose from about 13 percent during 1990-97
to 25 percent during 1998-2001.
Land Use Policy
Farmland Protection:
The Role of Public Preferences for Rural Amenities—To
investigate the relative importance of preserving
different rural amenities associated with farmland,
this report examines the enabling legislation of these
programs across the 48 contiguous States, and the
implementation of these programs in five Northeastern
States. The report also assesses how farmland protection
programs fit into the broader array of rural land
conservation programs.
Public
Lands and Western Communities—Net migration into the West
and changing preferences for recreation opportunities and environmental
amenities are increasing demand for recreational/environmental goods
and services. This, in turn, is reshaping the economic relationship
between public lands and rural communities. Traditional uses of
public lands in the West-such as grazing, mining, and forestry-remain
key sources of rural jobs and income, but continuing demographic
changes are likely to put additional pressures on policymakers regarding
multiple uses for public lands.
Farmland Protection
Programs: What Does the Public Want?—Public support has been
growing for government farmland protection programs, driven by the
perception that farmland produces more for society than food and
fiber, such as scenic views, environmental benefits, and maintaining
an agrarian heritage. Designing and implementing a cost-effective
farmland protection program with maximum benefits requires an understanding
of public preferences for particular amenities as well as which
amenities are best provided by preserving farmland.
The
Effect of Farmland Preservation Programs on Farmland Prices—Tests
the effect of development restrictions imposed by permanent
easement sales on farmland sales prices, using Maryland data.
Hedonic sales equations are estimated. Although preserved parcels'
actual land values are lower, the effect of the restrictions
is not statistically significant. The authors conclude that
their findings may encourage additional participation in preservation
programs or justify reductions in the easement prices paid by
agencies. From the American Journal of Agricultural
Economics.
Smart Growth:
Implications for Agriculture in Urban Fringe Areas—"Smart
growth" is a catch-all phrase to describe a number of land use policies
to influence the pattern and density of new development. Smart growth
directs development to designated areas (cities and older suburbs)
through incentives and disincentives. Landowners most likely to
experience the effects are near existing population centers or planned
growth areas. One of the greatest impacts of smart growth policies
on local agriculture will be changes in farmland values because
farm real estate dominates total farm assets.
Land
Tenure and the Adoption of Conservation Practices—The
authors use a logit adoption model with ARMS data on 941 U.S. corn
producers to analyze the influence of land tenure on the adoption
of conservation practices.
Urbanization
Affects a Large Share of Farmland—Although actual urbanized
area accounts for only 2.9 percent of U.S. land base, urban influence
is estimated to affect about 17 percent of the U.S. agricultural
land base.
Wildlife Conservation
and Economic Development in the West—The economic
expansion and population growth that have continued for almost a
decade in many rural communities of the West are posing a new set
of wildlife conservation issues for the region.
Policy Considerations
for Increasing Compatibilities Between Agriculture and Wildlife—This
article reviews recent research relating to the economics of
protecting wildlife on agricultural lands. From the Natural
Resources Journal.
Partial Interests in Land: Policy
Tools for Resource Use and Conservation—Property rights
arise out of law, custom, and the operation of private markets,
with important implications for how land and other natural
resources are used and conserved. Over the past several years,
debate about the nature and scope of property rights has combined
with budget concerns and reauthorization of the Farm Bill,
the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act to focus
public attention on Federal natural resource policy. This report
examines the nature of land ownership and the evolving Federal
role in land use and conservation, with particular attention
to the voluntary acquisition and conveyance of conservation
easements and other partial interests in land.
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