State lawmakers want to know precisely how many acres of Indiana ground recently used for farming now are being put to other purposes.
The Senate voted 47-2 Monday to send House Enrolled Act 1557 to the governor to be signed into law. It previously passed the House, 97-0.
The legislation directs the Indiana Department of Agriculture to conduct an inventory of all farmland lost in the state between 2010 to 2022, and to identify the primary cause of the farmland reduction.
It also mandates the state agriculture agency, led by Republican Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, submit a report to the General Assembly by July 1, 2024, detailing its findings and any recommendations, including potential legislation.
State Rep. Kendell Culp, R-Rensselaer, the sponsor, said he expects the report to show whether Indiana lawmakers will need to take action in years to come to deter the development of Indiana's farmland in the name of food security.
Culp is serving his first two-year term representing in the House various rural areas of Northwest Indiana, including portions of Jasper, Pulaski and Starke counties, and all of White County.
The measure was cosponsored by, among others, state Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron.
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