Agricultural land shrinking in Greene County [Video]

GREENE COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) – A study by the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture has found that in the last decade, thousands of acres of agricultural land in Greene County have been converted for residential or commercial purposes.

According to the study, between 2014 and 2023, 6,973 acres of agricultural, farm and forest land were converted for other purposes. More than 5,000 acres of agricultural land were converted to residential in that time, along with nearly 800 acres of farmland.

Milton Orr, a livestock agent for the University of Tennessee Agriculture Extension office, said several farmers are ready for retirement, fueling in part the decrease in agricultural and farming land.

“A lot of these farmers don’t have a really structured retirement program, and with the increase in real estate prices nationwide as well as local, that land has become a good opportunity for some of these guys to ensure …