By Kayleen Holder
Editor
Medina County has long been known for its rural landscape, farms and ranches. On a drive through the green rolling hills on FM 1343 between Devine and Castroville, a large plot of land sticks out. A tall commercial chain link fence has now replaced the old farm fencing on a long stretch of property. It’s one of the newest data center sites.
Over 41,000 acres once used for agriculture, has now either been developed or awaits its fate. To be exact, the county has lost 41,111 acres of farm and ranch land since 2013.
With this decrease in ag land, about 23,300 acres of land is now considered “vacant”, a designation given to recently purchased properties for which the use has not yet been determined. About half of that (11,464 acres) will most likely be subdivisions, according to the county, and it is unknown what is to come of the other 12,134 acres or so of land whose owners have let go of the ag and wildlife on it.
Land use classified as “Industrial” has seen a 999% boom in Medina County since 2013, now accounting for 7,023 acres across Medina County while “residential” has seen over 10,200 acres of homes and subdivisions added in the past 13 years.
According to officials, some companies have kept large amounts of acreage in Ag or wildlife exemption for years until construction began. So land that has been purchased but not yet developed, may still be classified as agriculture currently.
LAND USE
2026
Residential acres- 50,409 acres total (including 11,464.62 acres coded as Vacant residential acres which will most likely be used for residential at some point)
Agricultural acres – 746,379.29
Open Land– 12,134.94 (not qualified for open-space ag & wildlife)
Commercial acres – 2,070.37
Industrial acres – 7,023.10 (approximately are attributed to 2,673.53 data centers so far, with the majority of other industrial being quarries and large manufacturing sites)
*The above figures for 2026 show a more accurate picture of what development is in progress or projected, by breaking down and detailing the predicted use of newly vacant land that was lumped in the residential category due to state codes a couple years ago.
2025:
Agricultural acres – 749,385.49
Residential acres – 73,410.38
(figures included some vacant lands per new state code)
Commercial acres – 1,933.60
Industrial acres – 4,189.74
2024:
Agricultural acres – 753,514.84
Residential acres – 69,467.36
(figures included some vacant lands per new state code)
Commercial acres – 1,874.08
Industrial acres – 4,216.17
2023:
Agricultural acres – 769,136.34
Residential acres – 53,930.37
Commercial acres – 1,809.19
Industrial acres – 3,881.69
2018:
Agricultural acres – 778,444.10
Residential acres – 49,103.30
Commercial acres – 1,719.99
Industrial acres – 1,630.96
2013:
Agricultural acres – 787,490.67
Residential acres – 40,140.79
Commercial acres – 1,577
Industrial acres – 639.51
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