I have heard a phrase that makes me bristle. But I will come back to that later.

In 1987, when I was only 24 years old, I bought my first and only farm. At the time it was a very good buy. I have since spent the rest of my life wishing that farmland prices would go lower so I could buy another farm. Now I realize at the age of 59 that my thinking may be wrong. First a couple of facts to set the stage.

THE USDA-ERS, United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, compiles data that shows in the last 100 years food costs have dropped drastically, from over 30% to around 10% of disposable income. In the almost 60 some years of my life, food costs have dropped from 17% of disposable income to under 10%. The efficiency of farmers is one of several reasons, possibly the biggest. I have even jokingly stated that someday farmers may be blamed for the obesity epidemic in the United States because we helped to make food so cheap and abundant.

There have been recent news reports that Will County is the fastest growing county in the country. That means farmland is being devoured (accidental pun) for residential, commercial, and industrial development at a very fast pace.

Recently I was involved in a discussion about whether it would be sensible to place a cap on the amount of land used for solar developments. My first thought was, wouldn’t a cap on industrial warehouses make more sense? If we limit solar, do we also limit commercial, industrial, and residential development? Why stop there, should we also limit the amount of Amazon warehouses or Walmart’s? Where, and on what, do we draw the line?

It appears to me that the only way to slow the loss of farmland is for it to be more expensive, way more expensive. This is a reversal of what I have thought/wanted my entire life. If food costs were much higher, assuming that much of the higher cost went to farmers and not the processors/retailers, so that raising food was much more profitable, would it not raise the value of farmland?

This brings me back to my opening sentence. More than once I have heard of agricultural land being referred to as vacant land. Land being farmed is not vacant, it is producing food to eat. However, if the current trend of development continues there may be very little farmland left in Will County. Maybe someday farmers will look for a house with a large yard being unused and plant a crop in it, since it is technically “vacant land.”

Twice I have written about farmland preservation plans. Not one comment has ever been received with support of such an idea. Does anyone else have the same concern as me? Am I worried about something that won’t happen? Does anyone else care?

Is it plausible to think that much higher food costs would help reduce obesity and create more responsible development of the farmland remaining? How much higher will food costs go in the future, and what price would make many of us eat less? Are my concerns unreasonable. Am I overthinking this?

What do you think? I would like to know.

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