Nearly 87,000 farms existed in Tennessee in 2003, but that number dropped to 79,000 in 2008. Farmland during that time decreased from 11.5 million acres to 10.9 million acres. State agricultural officials say factors contributing to the loss of farms and farmland in recent years include the loss of Tennessee’s tobacco industry, higher production costs, natural disasters and development pressures. “In Tennessee, we’re losing valuable farmland to development and other non-farm uses at a rate of 100,000 acres per year,” says Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Ken Givens. “Something needs to be done.”

Something is. In 2010, a Tennessee Farmland Legacy Partnership was established to promote the viability of working farms in Tennessee. The Partnership seeks to raise awareness of farm preservation among farmers as well as government officials, developers, community planning and zoning officials, business and civic leaders, the media and citizens. “We need to protect Tennessee’s farms from development because healthy, productive farmland provides balance in our communities and contributes to our environment, scenic beauty and quality of life,” says Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.

A total of 12 agencies and organizations are involved with the Partnership to organize statewide conferences and workshops on farmland preservation issues. The Partnership will also serve as a central resource for financial programs offered by private organizations and state and federal agencies.

The 12 Partnership members are the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation, The Land Trust for Tennessee, The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and USDA Rural Development.

The Partnership has decided to formally kick off its campaign in November 2010 with a two-day Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference in Pigeon Forge. The conference will give farmers and community planners the opportunity to come together and discuss ways to preserve farmland, including the issue of transferring farms from one generation to the next. Another highlight of the conference will be a forum on growing switchgrass in Tennessee, which can be used in the energy sector along with other new markets.

“Agriculture at the farm level in this state is still a $3 billion industry, with Tennessee farmers producing a huge amount of soybeans, wheat, corn, cotton, tobacco, tomatoes and green beans,” says Pettus Read, director of communications for the Tennessee Farm Bureau Federation. “Tennessee is also in the top five states in America for livestock production, in the top three for horse production, and in the top three for goat production.”

Read says Tennessee farmers also put a lot back into the economy and thereby keep many other people employed. "For example, if a farmer is baling hay, they must first purchase baling twine, tractor lubricants and other supplies, plus hire extra workers to help with the task," he says. "When a farmer goes to work, plenty of other people go to work as well. Whether it's producing food to eat, fiber for clothes and even corn for ethanol fuel, Tennessee remains a key state in raising crops and livestock that are used all over the United States and beyond. Preserving Tennessee farms and farmland is imperative for that to continue.”