Governor Lee recently announced a proposal to establish a $25 million Farmland Preservation Fund to help protect farmland across Tennessee. If passed, this fund would provide grants to farmers who want to permanently protect their land through conservation easements in partnership with land trusts like The Land Trust for Tennessee. Similar programs exist in 31 other states, including North Carolina and Georgia.
Between 1997 and 2017, Tennessee lost 1.1 million acres of agricultural land. In just five years (2017–2022), another 430,000 acres were converted to other uses—an alarming rate of 9.8 acres lost per hour. Today, Tennessee ranks third in the nation for projected farmland loss.
The Land Trust for Tennessee is committed to accelerating the pace of land conservation across the state to combat this crisis. Establishing a Farmland Preservation Fund would be a historic step toward protecting Tennessee’s agricultural future, ensuring farms remain productive and land remains available for generations to come.
LTT encourages you to voice your support for this fund by contacting your representatives. You can find more information on the proposed bill here.
Land Trust for Tennessee
To learn more, read Securing a Future for Tennessee Farms by the American Farmland Trust.