Current Research: Critical Mass Study of Maryland Agricultural Land and Infrastructure

By 1997 land in farms had decreased by nearly half, while thenumber of farms decreased by two-thirds. Cropland acreage decreasedto 1.6 million. The value of the land and buildings increased onboth a per farm and per acre basis. An average farm's value climbedto $505,000, with the per acre value increasing to $2,846. Themarket value of the products increased to nearly $1.2 billion.

Study Objectives:

Analyze whether there is a critical mass of farmland needed tosustain an agricultural economy in a county.
Analyze whether individual farmer's behavior changes asfarmland acres decrease in the county.

Findings to date include:

The rate of farmland loss is affected by the number ofremaining harvested cropland acres in the county;
Farmland is lost in areas where the population has declinedpossibly because farmers have lost the ability to supplement incomewith off-farm employment. Thus, focusing on overall regionaleconomic health will benefit the agricultural sector.

For more information, contact Scott Angle

Last updated: 03/10/2009