I won’t bore you with statistics.
At least not very often. The numbers are staggeringly not in favor for farmland staying in active production and yet that makes our work all that more valuable and important.
I grew up in Des Moines and my family spent weekends bicycling in the Kent valley (70’s and 80’s) when there was still a large percentage of farmland still in production.
I watched this change into warehouses, and it shaped my future advocacy for farmland and farming in the last 15 years.
I know that all of you have watched farmland be turned permanently into non-farming uses, often under solid cement. The loss of most of the farmland in Kent, some of the richest farmland in the entire country, can still be prevented in other parts of our state with our combined interest and efforts.
What can I do about it?
Post your experiences with farmland loss on our Facebook page @FarmLinkWA. Stories create connections that can lead to positive change!
Smaller acreage hurts the longevity and viability of farmland
There is a trend now, largely caused by over-priced land, to break up acreage into smaller and smaller pieces.