“See those buildings over there?” my dad asks. He lifts a hand from the steering wheel to point at a cluster of warehouses on the edge of the city. “That all used to be fields. Just 20 years ago, none of this was here.”

This was a common occurrence throughout my childhood, and the same remarks are made today each time we drive into Madison or Janesville when I visit my Wisconsin home. When I bring my fiancé or college friends home, I find myself making those same comments.

Farming just 20 minutes down the road from Madison poses a slew of challenges. New neighbors get frustrated when following machinery, land prices are skyrocketing, and the ground around the city is being gobbled up at an alarming speed.

Indiana farmland loss

I noticed these urban sprawl effects firsthand when I lived in West Lafayette, Ind., while I attended Purdue. More student housing here. A new restaurant there. How many restaurants can one city have?

The recent farmland loss report published by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture puts some of those numbers into perspective. The report states that approximately 350,000 acres of farmland were lost between 2010 and 2022, with some speculating the number may be higher.

The No. 1 culprit for these lost acres is residential use. Low-income housing structures and subdivisions continue to creep into the countryside, yet there never seems to be enough land for their needs. Alternative options, such as restoring dead malls, should be explored.

Related:Smart solutions to farmland loss

And don’t get me started on the folks who buy a parcel of land on the edge of the city to build their dream house and enjoy the “country views.” They often are the same people who are the first to complain when a farmer spreads manure on a field or plants corn that obstructs that view. How dare the farmer interfere with that peaceful country scene these newcomers bought!

Never enough land

The fact is that these cities will never have enough land to suit their needs. They are going to continue to invade farmland, so long as they can keep consuming it. However, I do think we can slow this sprawl.

In my opinion, the first step would be to get your hands on your county’s farmland loss data from this new report. Speak with county officials and find out where the most loss is taking place in that area. Some counties recorded a gain in farmland acres, so question where those gains appeared.

It would be great to see developed land go back into agricultural production, but that just is not possible. Once farmland is gone, it can never be the same. Helping our local, state and federal officials understand that will hopefully slow some of this loss we’re seeing. I know I’d give anything to see the outskirts of Madison, Wis., for what it once was. Let’s keep future generations from echoing that same sentiment.