Yesterday out driving with some friends in an area I hadn’t seen, I was commenting on the fact it looked like we were finally getting to the countryside. They disagreed. The country side used to start far earlier and they thought the growth & development was sure to take over even more ground that used to be highly productive, irrigated rice land.
It amazes me how many times I’ve seen that in the Mid-South, having driven so many of those roads so frequently that I often know the farmer involved. Individually they may make some money, but most of the time, it’s simply acceptance. They aren’t excited about selling out of their farm land, but they are also aware of the fact some other land nearby will likely sell and it’s tough to live side by side with the expectations some homeowners have. Guess those people forget they also consume farm products.
I guess sometimes people lose track of the big picture — helping us provide food for ourselves & others as they contemplate the peacefulness, good schools, bigger lots & houses that can come with being outside the city limits. As a city girl, I know how that can easily happen, as an aggie today it still makes me shake my head and wonder how we can get people to stop and think about the impact individuals can have when several are moving in the same direction, in this case, further out of the city centers.
What are your ideas or experiences on the topic?
- Have you seen changes in farmland do to suburbanization sprawl?
- Have you needed to get away from the rat race & move further out?
- Do you think the homebuyers or contractors ever thought about they may be impacting possibility that highly productive agricultural ground and that could impact our ability to produce the food we need in coming years?
