Why Farm Properties Are Declining in the U.S. and What It Means for Surveyors

Nov 28, 2022

There has been a decline in farm properties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2014, there were over 913 million acres of farmland; in 2020, that number dwindled to about 896 million acres. However, this decline seems to be fine for the farm property surveyor. Here is the down low on how the decline in farm properties could affect the farm property surveyor.

The Work Load

According to Zippia, there are 39,024 surveyors in the United States. However, only a small percentage are farm property surveyors. Most surveyors survey sites for municipalities, residential properties, and commercial properties. The average age of a farm property surveyor is 45. There is a shortage of farm property surveyors, and only a few people are entering the field. Will the declining farm properties affect the workload of the farm property surveyor? The answer is probably not.

What if the Decline Continues?

The farm property decline may or may not continue. It’s hard to predict whether there will be a surge in either direction. For years there have been dire predictions about farm properties in the United States. The dire predictions began as early as the 1940s. While it is true that small family farms have taken a downturn, plenty of corporate farming properties will still need to be surveyed.

There Will Always Be a Need for Expertise

The number of farming properties may grow or shrink, but in any case, there will always be a need for farm property surveyors. The need for expertise in surveying farm properties will remain the same even as there is a decline in farm properties; most surveyors are staying very busy. Many farm property surveyors have to turn away work because they are so busy. There will remain enough work available for everyone in the farm surveying industry. The expertise of the farmland surveyor is much sought after because it is a niche.

No one can accurately predict the future, but right now, the decline in farm property is not affecting the job of the farm property surveyor. Learn more about what farm property surveyors do and how they do it by contacting Stoeckel Jahner Land Surveying today.