There’s an interesting story on sprawl by Lester Graham of the Great Lakes Radio Consortium that mentions development around DeKalb. The story says that some counties are trying to protect farmland by pointing out “some of that difference between farmland value and development value. “

Scott Everette with the American Farmland Trust, says the argument is simple economics that farmland is less of a tax burden than development:

“Because we won’t have to add public services. Cows don’t go to school. Chickens don’t dial 9-1-1. Corn, wheat and soybeans need a lot less fire and police protection than residential development.”

Everette warns that urban-influenced counties need to act now or farmland will be gone.
DeKalb (IL) County is among the most rapidly developing counties in the nation as sprawl moves west from Chicago. County Board member Pat Vary says that means the future value of farmland is far greater than its present value. Says Vary:

“I really think that in about thirty years, forty years from now, that an acre of farmland in DeKalb County will be worth more than an acre of downtown Chicago. You can’t eat buildings. You can’t eat pavement. People are going to need to eat. I really believe it’s critical, it’s vital to do something fairly fast.”

Read or listen (4:39) to the story, SAVING FARMLAND FROM SPRAWL

Brian Leaf