Georgia is expected to lose around 800,000 acres of farmland over the next 15 years, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
That’s about 8% of Georgia’s total land in farms, according to the latest counts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Curbing those losses is the driving force behind the Joint Subcommittee on the Generational Sustainability of Family Farms, which held its kickoff meeting in Perry last week.
The average Georgia farmer is in their 50s, and counts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggest generational gaps in farm ownership.
When it comes to the sustainability of current farms, and the growth of what the state has continuously touted as its “top industry,” among the top concerns for the subcommittee include rising input costs and development pressures.
Subcommittee co-chair state Rep. Robert Dickey — a farmer himself — said it’s not surprising to see more farmers leasing land to solar companies to help manage debts.
“Hats off to them for that investment and that opportunity, but I think long-term, the state of Georgia is going to have to invest in trying to preserve our farmland,” Dickey said.
Sen. Russ Goodman, co-chair of the subcommittee, pointed to efforts by the General Assembly in recent years to provide tax relief and storm recovery payments as even a small win for farmers struggling to make a profit.
But there’s much that’s out of the state’s control, Goodman said, including commodity prices that haven’t been able to cover all the other costs farmers put in, driven up by ongoing international conflicts and trade policy.
Goodman said he’d like to see his fellow lawmakers focus on policy that increases competition.
“I’ve always said that the biggest threats of the family farm are corporate consolidation, over-regulation and unfair trade,” Goodman said.
Meanwhile the state is betting on a financial assistance program, met with a federal match, to keep farmland out of developers’ hands. The Georgia Farmland Conservation Trust Fund Program was established by the legislature in 2023 and saw its first award cycle this year.
About 3,500 acres of Georgia farmland has been approved for easement projects this year, with more applications under review, said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper.
The subcommittee will host its next meeting in Rome.
