The decline in farmland has lead to a variety of problems as the nation's food supply is being grown in smaller areas with a higher concentration. The concentration of crops is dangerous because of the risk of:

• Drought
• Floods
• Insects
• Disease among crops
• Depleting quality of soils

While farmland is depleting, land developers do not think about what type of farmland is being paved over. Development is destroying high quality farmland that produces 2-3 times as much crop as other land that is left to cover for it.

Some farmers are shutting down their operations and selling off their farms because of:

• High input costs such as fertilizer, seed and gasoline
• Development opportunities
• Retirement

This situation leaves a lot of farmland unaccounted for. Hamilton County Extension Agent Dr. Ray Burden commented, "Unless you're in a position to inherit or take over another farm, it's expensive to start." Dr. Burden also explained the decrease in farmland puts more pressure on the farms still in operation. Fewer acres mean food production is concentrated in certain areas, leaving the nation's food supply at risk. "The danger there is if you have flood or disease...we could see an interruption in the food chain which we've never seen in this country," Dr. Burden said.

No matter how the economy looks right now, farmland is coming off as a safe, long-term, investment. While farmland prices may have increased over the last ten years, the need to feed our nation and the world will continue to drive demand for farmland. These articles note that farmland is disappearing, and we are here to explain that that's one of the top reasons why to invest in it right now. You can't make any more farmland.

- Colvin