A study of historical land use patterns across seven Midwestern states reveals little net movement of habitat to crop land and negligible impact on land use by federal program crops or those acres under crop insurance. The primary driver of land use change appears to be expected net returns available to land owners.
The study, commissioned by seven Midwest state Farm Bureaus, was conducted by Decision Innovation Solutions. The analysis used a variety of analytical techniques, tools, and 2007 thru 2012 datasets as the point of reference.
The primary purpose of the study was two-fold:
1.To estimate the degree to which land use changes have occurred in the states
2.To identify potential factors contributing to these land use changes
To read the report click here.
To view and listen to the presentation click here.