My job gives me the opportunity to help all kinds of people. As a person in the Agriculture lending industry for the past 25 years, I have spent most of my time taking care of the true row crop farmers, the cattlemen, poultry farmers, and the fish and fruit growers. However, in the area that I now cover, the day of the true agriculture operation is almost extinct. The area is becoming very commercialized and the price of real estate is sky high. There is no way that the true farmer can justify making a living by raising his crops or cattle on land that is $3,000 to $5,000 per acre.
Yes in this area, the influx of the person who has the desire for 30 acres, a house and a horse are ever increasing. This has driven the price of land sky high and even the most dedicated farmers can't help but think seriously about dividing their land into small tracts to sell for housing development.
As you drive the country roads, as I did today, you see less tractors and cows and more bulldozers and paving machines. The area is becoming one large subdivision.
All I can say is where has all the farm land gone?
1 comment:
Good post. I believe this to be a major problem for our country that goes beyond agriculture. It has a significant impact on the environment with direct land utilization issues and it is a big factor in our energy situation. Longer commutes, more fuel;larger homes, more fuel;electrical transmission infrastructure issues, utilities, sewage and garbage disposal, paving -- which affects runoff, etc. I hate to think about the impact to our capitalistic system, but the only solution for the future may be macro-level planning and zoning. We must stop urban/suburban sprawl.
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