Anyone else dealing with this ?

I think it's real sad, photo in the article is from the largest operation in the county, a few miles away from here, article states we still have 500+ farms in county. I am not sure how much this large operation has in crops, but a lot of big fields are still in ag use by them, even over in this neighborhood, I know one of the brothers, got to give em credit for hangin in there all these years.

I've always said there is some real good ag ground in this area, article mentions that too, and although developers have been kept at bay, I think our government is making a mistake if true, hate to think what things will be like when those fields are full of homes, condos etc., occupied by people who come here from foreign soil, get preferential financial aid and education, some leave and in turn use it against us, we thank them by building them homes...... not good, this is just as bad as gun control....
Lawmakers fear fallout from cuts in farm aid

Yeah, we are seeing this in the suburbs outside of Rochester, NY. One township is seeing a tremendous battle between preservationists and developers. I think most people there that built homes within the last 10-15 years are seeing the irony of wanting no more development only AFTER they got their little piece of country. Bottomline is developers are winning the battle there.
Maybe the one bright spot is the current economic mess will leave the local municipalities without money to add infrastructure (roads, sewers, streetlights, etc.), thus discouraging more development.
I do know two young brothers that would like to farm where they grew up but the developers have pretty well crushed that dream. As always seems the case, it is very productive ground that it is being built upon.

Its happening all over. We have the same thing here in IL and in WI where I came from. It's sick to see monopoly houses all over what used to be good farm ground while the inner city dies and looks like crap. Why can't they tear that stuff down and build their shopping malls there. I understand its cheaper but land is a resource that will run out too. Why can't they make more incentives to reuse land. Local town here tried to get walmart to build in the city on and old factory site and walmart said fine and gave up the whole idea.

Problem is zoning is local. Prone to greed. If zoning was, or at least guided by, the state, land conditions could be factored. In Wisconsin there is a lot of poor sandy soil that would be good for housing and trees but it's the rich soil near cities that's being gobbled up forever.

Suburban sprawl, can it be stopped, can it be controlled?
I see that one of the readers suggested state control over zoning.Others blaming greed, who"s greed the landowners or the developers. What is a landowner who has owned and farmed a piece of ground for 30 to 50 years supposed to do when it"s time for him to retire. Sure, he could rent his farm out to a farmer, I believe that most farmers are extremely good stewards of the land and would like to see their ground stay in ag; however the amount that they can get for ag rent will not even pay their TAXES much less provide them with any retirement income. People that wish to ZONE property ag only would be devaluing someone else"s property. A farmer fights development for decades to keep his farm, he pays high property taxs because even with ag exemptions the assessed value of his property continues to increase even if his income decreases, the land can very well be his only retirement. Does anyone have the right to tell him he can"t sell it for a high price, because it will ruin there view (of course they were the ones that complained the most of the oders,noise, and slow moving equipment). On the subject of greenspace and development rights being sold off. When a farm sells the development rights the property values continue to rise because when that property is sold a great deal of it is sold to well off individuals who can afford to and will pay more then a farmer can afford to pay for farm ground. Therefor in a great many cases when state funds (TAXES)are used to aquire farm rights, that ground becomes a play ground for the rich, it does"nt keep the ground in active farming.
If anyone knows the all right answers please tell me.
Lou New York

It's really a rock and a hard place, there is no easy answer for either side, when it comes to the economics, and the way things are today, don't get me wrong, 98 acres here, the taxes are a real joke, and and although I am not totally up on the programs like these, they do appear to be double edged swords, story written is just some journalist who most likely does not know much about same, but some good points were made in the article, farmers will always be "good stewards of the land" problem is when you have to get out of it or sell. All land eventually changes hands, owners have to retire, sold land = retirement, and I hear that side of it all the time, in response to those who want to "preserve" land and open spaces, by those who don't own any significant land. They (farmers) kinda take it the wrong way though, not about mandating to them, it's about keeping things in perspective, developers think too densely which = more profit, unless kept in check, I have seen it repeatedly. We have an activist group in this town, it's created some controversy and some enemies by now, but the folks involved in that group are a bunch of good citizens, hard working regular people, some very intelligent, accomplished and respectable people, none are the enviro whack types and many are just long time concerned residents. They have kept the town in check, this town had a reputation for bending the rules on a lot of things. Zoning is one thing, economics another, I just think in this case, from what I read it is a shame that the government turns their backs on these people, who worked their asses off for years, for peanuts, same government got us in the situation we are in, I'd like to see some of these stock market execs get put to work on one of these farms and know what real work is, stripped of their wealth, so they know what hard times are too, and what puts food on the table.

I think there are alternatives to what has been the mainstay of farming, dairy etc., we have some examples of that in the area, orchards, organic, greenhouses and horse operations etc.

This county has not been heavily developed yet, though some of the surrounding areas have been, so most of the ag land in question, does not border other parcels that could lose significant value, the land has rich soils, rolling hills with beautiful views of the hudson valley.

NO easy solution, but nothing worth doing ever is easy.

I mourn to see good rich farmland filling with
homes. County zoning board member says, "nothing
we can do, a farmer has a right to sell his land"
Some depend on selling when they get old, the
land is their retirement income.
Lots of people would like an acre or two in the
country, but can't afford more. It's the vulture
shyster developers,buying 200 acre farms and
putting cracker box home on 1/4 acre that's the
problem.