Farms Under Threat Data Dashboard

Farms Under Threat is American Farmland Trust’s comprehensive assessment of the extent, diversity, location, and quality of agricultural land in the contiguous United States—as well as the threats to this land from expanding development. This dashboard displays select data from Farms Under Threat: The State of the States, a spatial analysis of agricultural land and changes to land cover and use between 2001 and 2016. The report also assesses states’ policy solutions to respond to the threats. This dashboard offers charts and maps showing estimates of land cover/use and conversion of agricultural land by state and county and for the contiguous U.S. generated by the Farms Under Threat spatial analyses. It also provides ready access to the acre estimates in tabular form. Learn more in the “How to Use the Dashboard” section below.

How to Use the Dashboard

• Choose whether to view data on land cover/use or agricultural land conversion, use the two tabs at the bottom of the dashboard.
• Filter the data using the selection buttons in the heading of the dashboard. You can view data for selected reporting periods and geographic areas. Once a state is selected, you have the option to view county-level data using the drop-down.
• Select multiple states or counties to view regional land cover/use or conversion data. The pie chart and bar chart display cumulative data for all selected areas.

Note: all statistics in this dashboard have been rounded to the nearest hundred acres because of the characteristics of the spatial data.

Land Cover & Use 

In the context of Farms Under Threat, land cover refers to the natural or physical features on the land, such as vegetative cover or water. Land use, meanwhile, is the purpose of human activity on the land and involves both the modification and the management of the natural environment. Land use includes the built environment, such as residential, industrial, or transportation uses, as well as the natural environment, such as agriculture and forestry. Farms Under Threat defines agricultural lands as non-federal cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and woodland associated with farms. Nationally significant farmland is that best suited for long-term cultivation and food production. For definitions of each land use and class type, see the glossary in Farms Under Threat: The State of the States.

Agricultural Land Conversion 

The second tab of the dashboard displays information about the development threat faced by agricultural land between 2001 and 2016. Conversion refers to a change in land cover and/or land use—specifically the conversion of agricultural land to either urban and highly developed (UHD) land cover or low-density residential (LDR) land use. UHD land cover, commonly found in and around cities and towns, is comprised of built-up areas where most of the land has been converted into commercial, industrial, or residential uses. The LDR land use class was developed in Farms Under Threat to identify agricultural lands in areas where the average housing density is above the level where agriculture is typically viable, namely large-lot residential development. For more information about these categories, see the full Farms Under Threat: The State of the States report.

Resources about Farms Under Threat

• Farms Under Threat: The State of the States
• Farms Under Threat: The State of the States Interactive Spatial Maps and Policy Scorecard
• Farms Under Threat: The State of the States Spatial Data Request Form
• Farms Under Threat Technical Report
• American Farmland Trust’s Raster Atlas