LANSING – Five acres an hour.

That’s how much open space and farmland is being lost daily, according to the Michigan Environmental Council (MEC), primarily due to development.

Places all across Michigan are affected. For example, the Traverse City area is losing open land even faster than its population is growing, said Ariel Shaw, the MEC land use and energy program associate.

Other affected areas include much of the Lower Peninsula and the Thumb said Rich Harlow, program manager for the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Program.

The program, begun in 1974, is designed to protect the state’s agricultural future. It currently has 41,884 agreements covering 3.3 million acres. Participating owners promise the state that their land won’t be developed for non-agricultural use for at least 10 years. A farmer still owns the property and can sell it, as long as it remains used for agriculture.

The loss of valuable farmland is not a concern only for farmers. The Agricultural Department reports that agriculture has more than a $60 billion impact on the state’s economy.

“Agriculture is the second most important economic driver in the state,” said Harlow.

Under the program, participants are eligible for an income tax credit based on the amount of income and property taxes they pay. However, as an incentive to continue in the program, any tax credits received over the last seven years of the agreement must be repaid if they choose not to renew. In addition, farmers are exempt from paying special assessment taxes on sewers, water and lights.

“For farmers that are near developing areas, it can be a significant savings,” Harlow said about the special assessment exemption.

One of the main reasons that open space and farmland is diminishing in Michigan is because lot sizes for houses are increasing, Harlow added.

Scott Piggott, manager of the Michigan Farm Bureau’s agriculture and ecology department, said it’s still financially feasible to be a full-time farmer.

“We are very diversified in agriculture in Michigan,” Piggott said. “We are finding ways to be profitable.”

But Shaw, of the MEC, said smaller farms often have trouble competing with larger ones that receive government subsidies.

“They’re not getting the same safety net put in place,” she said.

Shaw said open land should be preserved because the state’s economy relies so heavily on agriculture.

In addition, Shaw pointed out that protecting open land is vital to another key factor in the economy – tourism, which ranks right behind agriculture as the third-largest industry in the state.

“People come to Michigan because it’s such a beautiful, green space,” Shaw said.

In addition, Piggott said it’s important for farmers to keep their land in their families.

“It makes farmers who they are,” he said.