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May 19, 2003

Study Shows Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Getting Carved Up

AUSTIN, TEXAS -- Texas rural lands are being splintered into "ranchettes," endangering wildlife and the family farmers who make their living off the land, according to a joint study by American Farmland Trust and the Texas Cooperative Extension of the Texas A&M University System.

"The study shows that mid-sized farms and ranches are disappearing fastest from the Texas landscape," explained Neal Wilkins, wildlife specialist at Texas Cooperative Extension. "Every year, we lose about 250,000 acres of mid-sized properties. In the rapidly fragmenting portions of the state, these farms and ranches are most often broken into smaller ownerships."

"Fragmentation often accompanies a change in land use," continued Wilkins. "Finding land for hunting and recreation is overwhelmingly the biggest motivator for land buyers today." The study found that an increase in the value of land for development or recreation ("nonagricultural land value") was a good early indicator that the size of the average farm or ranch property would soon decrease.

"The consequences of fragmentation can be seen in the eastern half of the state and on the outskirts of just about any major city," said Julie Shackelford, American Farmland Trust's Texas regional director. "Even land in some of the most rural areas is in high demand for its scenic beauty and recreation potential."

"Farmers are feeling the pinch of fragmentation through rising land values, a breakdown of local agriculture and problems conducting their daily operations with busier roads and new neighbors. City-dwellers feel its impact through declining water supplies, open space, and higher taxes resulting from services needed by new developments," said Shackelford.

The study found that there is a strong correlation between rural land fragmentation and degraded wildlife habitat. Robert L. Cook, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said, "Loss of large blocks of contiguous grassland habitat is a major factor in the decline of Northern Bobwhite quail as well as other grassland birds and mammals."

The study was funded by The Meadows Foundation and Houston Endowment, Inc. An analysis of the study's implications and a map of the top 10 percent of Texas counties struggling with fragmentation can be found on American Farmland Trust's Web site (http://www.farmland.org/).

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