The Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, NRI, has published the latest Texas Land Trends Program report, “Status Update and Trends of Texas Working Lands 1997-2022.”
The document is a critical resource to help understand the complex makeup of Texas’ agricultural lands and the challenges presented by rapid economic and population changes.
The report describes the status and recent changes in land values, ownership size and land use of privately owned Texas working lands. It shows on a larger scale how land use in Texas has changed over the last 25 years.
“This report serves not only as an updated snapshot of current conditions but also as a resource to inform future policies affecting our state’s natural resources,” said Roel Lopez, Ph.D., director of the NRI and head of the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Booming metro populations and land values
Published every five years, the report pulls from extensive sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas State Comptroller of Public Accounts, land value and land use data from independent school districts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Census of Agriculture dataset.
Texas is home to eight of the top 15 most rapidly growing cities in the U.S., according to the report. From 1997 to 2022, the Texas population increased 55%, from 19 million to 30 million residents or nearly 1,100 new residents per day. Eighty-eight percent of this population increase occurred within the state’s top 25 highest-growth counties.
The largest increases in land values were observed near major metropolitan areas. The average appraised market value of Texas working lands rose 55% since 2017, from $1,951 per acre to $3,021 per acre. Over the last 25 years, land values have increased by 505%.
Lopez said population growth and increasing land values are creating incentives for landowners to subdivide and sell their land.
“The report shows as Texas continues to grow in population and economy, the demand for rural land, especially in areas surrounding major urban centers and transportation corridors, will continue to increase and have long-term impacts on working lands,” Lopez said. “Lands across the state are following much of the same trends in ownership fragmentation and conversion in the last five-year period as observed since 1997.”
Land conversion and ownership patterns
From 1997 to 2022, Texas saw approximately 3.7 million acres of working lands converted to nonagricultural uses. The last five years alone accounted for the loss of nearly 1.8 million acres.
While grazing lands make up the largest portion of working lands in the state, they have steadily decreased since 1997 — losing roughly 6.7 million acres to other land uses over the 25 years.
In contrast, wildlife management acres significantly increased in recent years, growing from about 94,000 in 1997 to approximately 7.1 million in 2022.
Although Texas lost more than 17,000 agricultural operations in the last five years, the state still has almost 2,500 more operations than in 1997, totaling over 230,000. The average ownership size of these operations increased from 509 to 541 acres between 2017 and 2022.
Small farms and ranches of less than 100 acres in size represent 60% of all ownerships but only account for 3% of land devoted to agriculture in 2022. Larger operations covering over 2,000 acres saw the sharpest five-year decline in the last 25 years with more than 1,000 operations lost between 2017 and 2022.
Land conservation for the well-being of future generations
Lopez emphasized that contributions from agricultural lands extend beyond the economic benefits they provide by producing crops, livestock, timber and more. They also provide valuable ecosystem services, such as air and water quality and wildlife habitat.
“We’re aware of how land fragmentation and the conversion of working lands can diminish ecosystems,” he said. “It’s important to provide Texans with knowledge and resources to mitigate these impacts and reduce the pressure on undeveloped spaces that can provide these ecological services and a healthy balance in and around urban areas.”
