David Anderson

Low-density residential development continues to contribute substantially to the loss of farm and pasture land in Idaho.

Continuation of recent development patterns in the state will result in losing, fragmenting or otherwise compromising 113,100 acres of farm and ranch land by 2040, the American Farmland Trust said in its “Farms Under Threat” 2040 report.

That is roughly equivalent to losing 700 farms, $72 million in farm output and 1,500 jobs. And 83% of conversions are expected on some of the state’s best agricultural land.

Farmland loss in Idaho will be 29.3% higher by 2040, up to 146,300 acres, if “runaway sprawl” prevails in contrast to recent business as usual, the trust said.

The loss would be 42.7% lower, down to 64,800 acres, if policymakers and land-use planners promote a “better-built cities” approach that is more compact and aims to reduce sprawl.

The hardest-hit counties are Ada and Canyon in the greater Boise area and Kootenai in the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls area.

“How Idahoans choose to develop will shape the future of farming,” the report said.

Low-density residential development is of particular concern in the state. Substantial pressure comes from large-lot homesites and scattered subdivisions that are farther from town and affordable for many of the new in-migrants from other states.

“Rural areas are more affordable than where a lot of people are coming from right now,” said David Anderson, American Farmland Trust Idaho program manager.

Agricultural land remains plentiful from a developer’s viewpoint, he said. Many local codes are outdated and “we’re no longer that quiet, rural state.”

It is important “to get zoning codes up-to-date, protect working ag and make room for more people,” he said.

The trust said problems with low-density residential development, along with adding relatively few residences per acre of land, include fragmenting the agricultural land base and in turn limiting remaining ag operations’ production, marketing and management options.

Anderson said this type of development also accelerates fragmentation and contributes to future sprawl. After low-density projects fill, higher-density developments emerge nearby and also attract residents. Space runs out and sprawl resumes.

Meanwhile, the rising cost of housing drives “commuter development” farther from town, “and the vast majority of that is low-density residential,” he said, adding that resort communities see this.

The trust said it encourages compact development to minimize sprawl, protecting farmland with voluntary conservation easements, and helping current and new generations of farmers run successful businesses.

Anderson said there are opportunities in “planning for ag, supporting a robust ag economy with better-built cities” and creating “a more resilient, sustainable community overall.”

For example, counties could integrate farm succession planning into their forward-looking comprehensive plans, he said.

Curtis Elke, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Idaho state conservationist, said that while there is no single solution to agricultural land conversion to other uses, partnership and collaboration are key. He said agencies could provide landowners with a menu of options for reducing conversion and provide more money for agriculture easements.

“No one is going to save ag land if they don’t value it,” Elke said.