The Changing Landscape of Rural America

The Big Picture: We’ve Always Been Part of a Global Economy

This isn’t the first time the land has changed. When Europeans first arrived in the Americas, they were not just exploring—they were looking for a shortcut to the spices of Asia. They didn’t find nutmeg or cinnamon, but they found sugar, tobacco, tomatoes, and fertile ground. Soon, they began shipping crops back to Europe, extracting resources from the land.

That global economy has never stopped. Today, your neighbor’s cornfield isn’t just feeding their family—it might be feeding a factory in China or a freezer case in Germany. Modern farmers work at a scale and speed that would’ve been unthinkable just 70 years ago. The mules are long gone. In their place are GPS-guided tractors and harvesters the size of battleships. These machines resemble spaceships more than what you’d expect to find on a backroad.

However, we often forget: those farms—and those machines—aren’t just built for exporting grain. They can also feed your family. If we create the right infrastructure and local demand, those same fields can provide food right here, not just at the farmers market on Saturday mornings, but every day of the week.

Global Food Chain

Farmland Is a Business, Not a Backdrop

Many people say they love farmland. They appreciate the look of it, the quietness, and the idea of living near it. But farms aren’t just pretty scenery; they are businesses. Like any business, they must make money to survive.

When a piece of farmland is sold and turned into a subdivision, it is easy to blame the developer. However, more often than not, the farmer didn't want to sell. They sold because the farm couldn’t make enough money to survive. Maybe their kids didn’t want to take over. Perhaps the market prices were too low, or they were simply exhausted.

Whatever the reason, the land had to produce something. When crops couldn’t cut it, houses became the more profitable crop.

If we want to save farmland, we must stop treating it like a museum and start recognizing it as an economic engine. We need to do more than just fight development. We have to make farming a viable option again.

Rethinking How We Grow

The problem isn’t just that growth is happening—it’s about how it’s happening.

Instead of building houses on old fields and cow pastures, what if we planned growth more intentionally? In Europe, villages are constructed closely together, surrounded by the land that feeds them. People live in community, and farmers continue to farm.

This model is worth considering. Whether it’s 50 houses per acre or five houses on five acres—if it’s paved over, that land is out of production. Forever.

So instead of sprawling, let’s make smart decisions. Let’s grow with purpose. Let’s cluster neighborhoods, protect prime farmland, and build systems that support farmers staying on their land.

The Power of Your Fork

Want to keep farmland farmland? Start with what you put on your plate.

Buy from your local farmer. Eat what’s in season. Cook at home, and ask your grocery store to carry local options. Support food hubs and regional processing centers. The more demand we create for local food, the more opportunities farmers will have to shift from commodity crops to community crops.

Farmland can feed the world, but it should also feed us.

We often talk about saving the family farm as if it’s a charity project. It isn’t. It’s about keeping skilled individuals in business—people who know how to grow food, manage land, and care for soil and water. These farmers don’t just feed us; they steward the land we claim to love.

Your fork is your vote. Every time you spend money on food, you’re choosing what type of agriculture to support. You’re deciding whether farmland remains farmland or becomes a cul-de-sac with a view.

Conservation Isn’t Just About Easements

You’ll hear discussions about farmland trusts and conservation easements—legal agreements that prevent land from being developed forever. The farmer retains the land but gives up the right to turn it into anything other than farmland. Sometimes they receive payment; other times, they get tax breaks.

These solutions can be effective. However, they are often expensive, complicated, and geared toward large tracts of land or legacy estates.

Tennessee Dirt

What if we had a simpler solution?

What if local governments and landowners implemented deed restrictions to protect agricultural use? What if we invested in infrastructure—such as local meat processing, cold storage, and delivery systems—that would make farming profitable again?

It’s not just about protecting land; it’s about ensuring that it can still be farmed.

If we really want to save farmland, we have to do more than express our love for it. We must create an economy where it can thrive.

So buy local. Vote with your fork. Support smart growth. And remember: those wide-open spaces aren’t just pretty to look at. They feed you, your neighbors, and the world.

Let’s ensure they continue to do that.

Jennifer Davis writes from her home in Tennessee.

Jennifer Davis