January 15, 2025

Good news: Agriculture’s impact on water resources is declining statewide as fewer acres are being farmed, while conservation practice implementation is increasing.
The first factor involves the amount of Minnesota land available for crop production, which continues to decrease. Driven by a combination of urban sprawl and increased acquisition by state and federal governments, cropland decreased by 850,000 acres between 2010 and 2024.
The Minnesota Board of Soil and Water Resources documents the gradual decline in available cropland in a series of annual reports. The agency’s most recent report shows a total of 21.8 million acres of cropland, of which 1.4 million are enrolled in a conservation program, for a net of 20.4 million acres of cropland.
The agency’s 2010 Conservation Lands Summary reported 23.1 million acres of cropland with 1.8 million acres enrolled in conservation programs, resulting in 21.3 million acres available for crop production.
Significant taxpayer investment in habitat creation has been one driver of this change. Since 2010, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has added 220,000 acres to its Wildlife Management Area inventory. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acquired more than 100,000 acres between 2010 and 2024.
Positive stewardship practice trends are the second factor. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service provides data on farm practices, through the Census of Agriculture, completed every five years. Comparison of census data in 2012 and 2022 shows an increase in no-till acres of 45%, an increase in conservation till other than no-till of 30% and an increase in acres with cover crops planted of 86%.
The math is simple — fewer acres planted to crops, with more acres using practices recognized as beneficial by state and federal agencies, equals a smaller farmland footprint.
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