CA Set To Lose 570,000 Farmland Acres By 2050

Western Farm Press reports that despite written policies protecting farmland across Central California’s agricultural heartland, the state’s most productive region is on track to lose 570,000 acres of prime, irrigated land to development by 2050, according to The American Farmland Trust.

The group says the loss could drain between $100 billion and $190 billion from the regional economy, based on crop values and related expenses. The land represents a more than doubling of the current urban footprint of valley cities stretching from Modesto to Bakersfield.

The group released its study on how city and county development policies are affecting the San Joaquin Valley. Fresno County, with around $7 billion in ag production, leads the nation in crop value.