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<br />~~4\7'" <br />U-~) J:t -..j,"i;-1 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Loss of Cropl and to Non-agricul tural Uses <br /> <br />The 1975 SCS Potential Cropland Study (PCS) is the only source of data <br />on quality and prior use of land converted to urban and other intensive <br />preemptive uses such as highways and water impoundments. Table 11-12 shows <br />PCS estimates of the average annual acreage of cropl and and of prime agri- <br />cultural land converted to urban and water uses during the period 1967-75. <br />It should be noted that not all cropland urbanized was of prime quality and <br />not all land of prime quality was in cropland use prior to conversion. <br />However, the tab 1 e presents a picture both of ac tual cropl and loss and of <br />inroads made on high potential cropl and by conversion to non-agricultural <br />uses. Nationwide, an average of 672 thousand acres of cropland were con- <br />verted each year. Conversion of land meeting criteria for prime agricul- <br />tural land was at the rate of 923 thousand acres per year. <br /> <br />Potenti al Cropl and <br /> <br />The Soil Conservation Service has conducted two surveys that have pro- <br />duc ed estimates of potenti al cropl and--the 1975 Po tenti al Cropl and Survey <br />and the 1977 National Resource Inventory (NRI). In these surveys each sam- <br />pl e point not then in cropl and use was rated on its potential for conver- <br />sion to cropl and--high, medium, low, or zero. Zero potential was assigned <br />when the land at a point was already committed to a non-agricultural use or <br />had locational or physical characteristics such that tillage was virtually <br /> <br />II -56 <br />