Tennessee farmers unite to combat land loss at Farm Bureau conference

From the plains of West Tennessee to the soaring hills of East Tennessee, one of the state’s most precious resources, its farmland, or 10 million acres, is in danger of significantly declining if preservation measures are not taken, according to agricultural industry experts.

During the Tennessee Farm Bureau’s 84th Annual President’s Conference at the Cool Springs Marriott in Franklin, the state’s ongoing rapid land loss rose to the top of the discussion platforms during the two-day gathering of more than 750 farmers from across the state.

Tennessee could lose more than 1 million acres of farmland to impending development, according to an American Farmland Trust study, “Farms Under Threat in Tennessee,” which examines expected trends between 2016 and 2040.

The state has already lost 1.1 million acres between 1997 and 2017. And since 2017 alone, the state has lost 432,941 more acres, according to University of Tennessee Agricultural Management studies.

Further: Maury County centenarian farmer preserves family farmland in fight to sustain rural life in Tennessee

Further: Pettus Read at his rural farm in Rutherford County

Tennessee also ranks third in the nation in land loss, according to the American Farmland Trust.

To explore solutions, farmers heard from industry experts Aug. 8 and 9, including representatives from the University of Tennessee, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation and even members of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, which has had success saving green spaces in its state.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally also participated in a panel discussion Friday, showing their support for those in charge of the state’s largest industry, which generates an estimated $89 billion annually for the state’s economy according to the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.

‘We will try again and again’ on land preservation bill in 114th General Assembly

Rapid population growth, especially in Middle Tennessee, correlates with land lost to development as well as the arrival of industries like Ford’s newest megasite BlueOval City, which supports up to 5,000 jobs in a 4,100-acre industrial park in West Tennessee’s Haywood County.

Further: The Haves and the Have-Nots: Williamson Gets More Tax Growth Than Maury and Rutherford

“We have to do something about this,” said Neil Delk, a Maury County beef cattle rancher, between conference sessions Friday. “We have to get the land conservation bill passed.”

Governor Bill Lee proposed the Agricultural Land Conservation Fund, or House Bill 1890, during the 113th General Assembly to combat the problem, but it failed in the Senate after passing the House.

But while some in the Senate had reservations, farm leaders and lawmakers are confident the bill will resurface during the 114th General Assembly.

The proposed legislation would allow the Tennessee Department of Agriculture to establish an agricultural easement program in which landowners can enroll their farm in a program to secure it for years to come.

Tennessee Farm Bureau President Eric Mayberry praised the governor’s efforts earlier this year and assured hundreds of farmers at the conference that the organization would again support the legislation.

“If you don’t succeed at first, try again and again,” Mayberry said.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, who participated in a roundtable discussion with Lt. Gov. Randy McNally on Friday, confirmed to The Daily Herald that there is hope the bill will pass in the 114th General Assembly.

“In the House, we passed it,” he said. “The governor is also looking at a broader package. I was with him the other day and he said he’s having meetings with stakeholders, so he’s looking at conservation and preservation as well. We’ll see how that goes when it comes back to us, but I have full confidence in the governor on that.”

Friday’s keynote speaker, Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, reminded farmers of the legislative power the organization possesses when it speaks as a collective voice, especially against other legislation that could harm farmers.

“When the base of this organization is strong and active, we can make anything happen,” Duvall said. “Get outside your fences. Your farm extends beyond your fences.”

In 2022, the bureau was instrumental in speaking out against a proposed rule by the Securities and Exchange Commission, “Improving and Standardizing Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors,” that would have required farmers to disclose information about their operations and employees, which the bureau deemed too financially burdensome for the average farmer.

“It would have put a lot of farms out of business,” Duvall said.

Duvall said he received a call from the SEC asking why he had received 5,000 emails from farmers in one day, and explained that more than 20,000 communications were ultimately sent to the SEC and U.S. lawmakers opposing the bill.

In the end, the bill was rejected.

Young farmers are the future

Another key solution to successfully preserving the land, which was repeated throughout the conference, is to ensure that young farmers continue the tradition, whether within or outside of generational farming families.

Duvall stressed that “young farmers are the ones we need to focus on.”

The Tennessee office even looked to Kentucky as a shining example of how state legislation can be crafted to incentivize families to keep the family farm running.

Like Tennessee, Kentucky lost 1.4 million acres of farmland, or 17,000 farms, in 20 years.

Eddie Melton, a fifth-generation farmer and president of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, described his office’s efforts to support legislation in Kentucky (a state with an income tax) that would provide incentives or a tax credit of up to 5% for farmers who agree to sell their land to beginning farmers.

The Kentucky Office has also launched a resource portal to assist families in transitioning operating farms to the next generation, through estate planning resources, for example.

“It’s about the next generation,” Melton said, encouraging families not to delay difficult conversations.

Jeff Aiken, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture, who also served on Thursday’s panel, stressed the importance of families transferring ownership of their farms to other operating owners, including next-generation family members.

“I think we have an opportunity to make a generational transformation that will impact this state and the future of agriculture and keep it as the number one industry in Tennessee,” Aiken said.

Other solutions could lie in county-wide land planning. Rutherford County, for example, has formed a “PlanRutherford” steering committee to explore ways to preserve its agricultural lands, while other counties across the state are struggling to find solutions.

Pamela Stoutt, president of the Knox County Farm Bureau Women’s Group, has been speaking at county planning meetings about the importance of farmland not being overtaken by growth.

“I think farmland conservation is critical to the future of the state. It not only ensures our food source, but also our fuel, our fiber and our forestry. It’s the driving force for us to sustain life and build our economy. We have to have all of that for ourselves and our families,” Stoutt said. “I don’t think people understand the importance of farmland.”

Further: Rutherford, Tennessee, officials want to preserve farmland: “Growth has outpaced us”

During a panel discussion, Sexton said that when traveling domestically or abroad, many know Tennessee as a farm state, the only state that has agriculture represented on its state seal.

“I’ve been asked many times if I’m a farmer,” Sexton said. “Tennessee is known internationally as a farming state. I don’t think Tennesseans know who we are.”

Sexton also explained what he would like the average Tennessee citizen to know about the agricultural industry.

“I would like people to know how difficult it is to get products made in the field, from start to finish, and how many things had to go right to achieve it.

“The farming community supports family, church, volunteers and volunteer spirit,” Sexton said.

Duvall summarized his description of the American farmer and the AFBF.

“We’re a family. We love our farms. We love our land and that’s why we’re here,” Duvall said.

Duvall quoted Scripture from Colossians 3:23-24: “And whatever you do, work at it heartily, as working for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive an inheritance as your reward. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

“We are the American farmers,” Duvall said.