Georgia’s farmland is disappearing, and it has been happening for a couple of decades at least. Now, it has picked up the pace with proposals going beyond housing developments and shopping centers to facilities like data centers and solar farms.
The last census The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) did on farmland shows the U.S. is lost more than 20 million farming acres to development since 2017.
“Since 1974, We’ve lost 2.4 million acres of farmland to developments, and that’s row crop land,” State Sen. Billy Hickman (R-4th District) in an article published by the Farm Monitor. “That’s not counting forestry land, to developments and warehouses. So, if you take that number and multiply, do another 30 years, you’re talking about another 2.4 million acres.
“And, of course, very, very fortunate Georgia is growing so fast and provide so many opportunities for people, but also, we also got to be cognizant that we’ve got to be able to feed our people too and feed the world.”
A college student did a project to determine the amount, type, and cost of agricultural land in Northwest Georgia. Adam Lawley’s ArcGis StoryMaps project shows four working commercial farms in the six-county area of Gordon, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb and Paulding. The farms are listed in Floyd, Gordon, Bartow, and Paulding.
Specifically, those farmlands are listed at Little Texas Valley Road in Rome, Liberty Church Road in Ranger, Big Pond Road, SW, Taylorsville, and Dabbs Bridge Road, Acworth just across the Bartow County line. For more on his study, click here.
Residents in those counties know there are many more farms than those, as you can drive up a country road and see farm entrance signs, but these are the ones listed on national databases.
Local residents can see land being turned over by bulldozers. Euharlee Road currently has three subdivisions projects being constructed in Cartersville and Euharlee. One takes the place of a wooded area while the other two are using farmland to build homes.
Corn rows at McCormick Road are being replaced by 114 rental homes to accommodate those working at the new batter plant on Highway 411. Construction just started a few weeks ago.
Those wishing to maintain farmland have new challenges beyond subdivisions, shopping centers, and warehouses. Proposed data centers and solar farms are also finding their way to local planning and zoning boards.
A data center was approved for the Bates Road in Cartersville area but a second, separate proposal for Barnsley Garden Road in Adairsville was denied by Bartow County Planning and Zoning Board. The board approved recommending a third 800+ acre rezoning request for a massive data center in Taylorsville. That will be up for a public hearing at the commissioner’s office in June. 4
Floyd County residents are fighting a proposed data center under developer Atlas Development in the Coosa Area that will take up approximately 178 acres. Microsoft is already building a $1 billion data center on Huffaker Road farmland called Project Fireworks. Construction began on the 347-acre property in 2023. For more on data center controversies, click here.
Solar farms are also taking up farmland, although statistically solar farms sit on .9% of Georgia’s land. However, that number includes all land in both cities and farms. Figures show there are 35,000 solar farms in Georgia with Georgia Power operating only 16 of them. National data states the only Northwest Georgia county with solar farms is Cobb County and the biggest one in Lee County.
Silicon Ranch is now building on with the DeSoto Phase I Solar Rance in north Lee County to use 2,000 acres with 1,000 acres under the panels.
Other smaller solar farms exist that are unregistered on national databases. One is in Bartow County on Euharlee/Chulio Road on a stretch of farmland found between Cartersville and Rome.
Not all farmland is sold to be a solar farm. Both governments and private landowners lease land to generate extra income. Estimates are they receive around $2.9 billion a year in leasing land to Georgia Power. It is touted as a good deal because it generates income that helps family farms survive financially.
Reasons behind farmland becoming developments are simple and complex with some families stating the tax burden is too great, or a farm can’t turn over profits after government rules and regulations. The fact is that the value of acreage continues to rise and that provides incentives for families to sell family land once farming forefathers retire or die.
According to Acrevalue.com, much of the farmland in Northwest Georgia will sell for between $5,000 and $6,000 an acre. While prices aren’t available for all counties, the list from Acrevalue.com below gives you an idea of what Northwest Georgia land is worth to investors.
Bartow County – $6.866/acre
Catoosa County – $5.936/acre
Chattooga County – $4,628/acre
Floyd County – $6.303/acre
Gordon County – $4,877/acre
Polk County – $5,180/acre
Walker County – $4,684/acre
Whitfield County – $5,551/acre
The Georgia State Legislature has been raising concerns about solar farms with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) issuing a report with recommendations for decommissioning solar farms when their lifespan ends, as it evitability will.
Some, including Hickman, started a Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia Farmlands. Hickman chairs it and six other senators participate. They hold meetings across the state looking for solutions. They met with 35 farms one summer. The goal is to get the legislature’s attention and address the issue of farmland continuing to be sold to developers.
Hickman said he expects the study committee to produce several pro-farm bills over the next few years that he would like to see passed.
Melody Dareing is a freelance writer for publications in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and Germany. She is a former news director for Adelphia Channel 4 and WBHF Radio.