Approximately how many acres of cropland and grassland did New England lose between 1945 and 2012?

Nearly 5 million acres

The New England region has experienced a substantial reduction in its agricultural base over the post-war era. Between 1945 and 2012, the area lost nearly 5 million acres of land previously used for cropland and grassland. This represents a staggering decrease of 73% in the region’s agricultural footprint. Although the pace of this conversion has slowed down since the 1980s, ongoing factors like population expansion and the demand for non-agricultural uses, such as housing development, continue to convert this finite acreage. Achieving regional goals, like sourcing 30% of food locally by 2030, becomes challenging when the current trajectory under a 'Business as Usual' scenario projects a net loss of hundreds of thousands of acres.