Location of rapid development and high-quality farmland, because the character and nature of farming are often quite different in areas where agriculture is mixed with development. (Fig. 1)

Cropland areas planted to grass or trees, as a measure of areas removed from cropping and devoted to other land cover on a temporary or permanent basis. (Fig. 2)

Acreage of wetlands on croplands, because wetlands provide important ecological benefits. (Fig. 3)

Average size of farm fields. Larger field sizes decrease the amount of field edges, borders, and fence rows, which can serve as windbreaks and provide habitat for some species of wildlife. (Fig. 4)

Area of conservation buffer strips, as a measure of the amount of cropland set aside to prevent pollution from entering air or waterways and, in some cases, to support wildlife. In the future, this measure should reflect the proportion of buffer strips installed in areas in which they are appropriate. (Fig. 5)

In 1998, about 24 million acres of federally funded Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land were in grass and about 2 million acres were in trees, for a total of about 7 percent of all cropland.

As of 1997, about 2.2 million acres of buffer strips were associated with cropland, a small increase over 1996. More than 75 percent of conservation buffers were grassed waterways, which are vegetated channels designed to control erosion from runoff.

Conversion of wetlands to agriculture has decreased over time.

Areas of rapid development in proximity to high-quality farmland are concentrated in the eastern United States.

Rapid Development and High-quality Farmland (1) Technical Note
Shown here are areas with relatively rapid development (higher than the statewide average) and relatively high proportions of high quality farmland (higher than the statewide average)
	Source: American Farmland Trust

Conservation Reserve Program Acreage, 1992 (2) Technical Note
	Federal programs encourage farmers to retire sensitive lands and plant them to grass or trees. Under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), lands are retired for 10 to 15 years in return for payments to farmers. Reduced erosion and wildlife benefits are key selection criteria. There will be 31 million acres of cropland in the CRP as of October 1, 1999.
Source: USDA, Farm Services Agency

Annual Wetland Losses (3) Technical Note
	More than half of the wetlands in the lower 48 states have been lost since the time of European settlement. About 10 percent (roughly 11.5 million acres) of existing wetlands are on croplands. Approximately half of cropland wetlands are in just five states: Louisiana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, and South Dakota.

Farm Field Size (4) Technical Note	Conservation Buffer Strips (5) Technical Note
	Acreage 1996 1997 Change Wind-erosion control buffers 272,200 320,900 +48,700 Field borders and filter strips 194,500 199,600 +5,100 Grassed Waterways 1,644,800 1,655,500 +20,000 Total 2,111,500 2,186,000 +74,500
	Source: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service