CHEYENNE, Wyo. | At the 2023 National Association of State Departments of Agriculture annual meeting, NASDA members adopted policy to protect farmers’ right to farm.
NASDA’s new policy supports laws that protect agricultural and forestry operations and facilities 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.”
The USDA Economic Research Service reports the number of farmers and acres of land in farms is on a downward trend. The U.S. had 2 million farms in 2022, down from 2.2 million in 2007, and the U.S. had 893 million acres of farmland in 2022, down more than 20 million acres ten years earlier.
NASDA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit association which represents the elected and appointed commissioners, secretaries and directors of the departments of agriculture in all 50 states and four U.S. territories. NASDA enhances American food and agricultural communities through policy, partnerships and public engagement. To learn more about NASDA, please visit www.nasda.org.