At the 2023 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) annual meeting, NASDA members voted to protect farmers’ right to farm by adopting a new policy according to a release.
The new NASDA policy protects agricultural and forestry operations and facilities through supporting federal laws. Backed by the policy these operations and facilities will be better protected from nuisance lawsuits.
“The purpose of this new policy is to lessen the loss of farmland caused by nuisance lawsuits which can arise when nonagricultural land uses expand into agricultural and forest areas,” NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said. “Farmers are excellent stewards of the land and resources they use to produce food, fiber and fuel for their communities and the world. Protecting their right to farm is vitally important as we aim to inspire the next generation to consider farming as a career and encourage current farmers to use new technologies and practices.”
A report by the USDA Economic Research Service showed a downward trend of farmers and acres of land in farms, the release noted. According to the report there were two million farms in the U.S. in 2022 which is down from 2.2 million in 2007. Farmland acers are down more than 20 million acres in the last ten years.
