redbarn.jpgIt comes as a pleasant surprise — after years when thousands of farmers were driven off their land — to find in the 2007 Census of Agriculture that the number of farms in Iowa has risen to 92,856, a level last seen in 1992. Some 4,000 new small farms have been created since 2002. These very small farms, 9 acres or less, are producing a much wider array of crops than the rest of Iowa, which specializes in corn and soybeans. (From the New York Times Opinion Page)

2 COMMENTS

  1. That is very good news. As the son of a farmers daughter, I learned that farmers are the foundation of society: they feed the cities. If a country wants a sustainable, strong economy they need a healthy agricultural sector to build it upon. Farmers are smart, hardworking people (agriculture is a university topic) who deserve respect from everyone.

  2. I agree. That is great to hear. The farms in my area are all selling out to developers. Ugly mini subdivisions with mini mansions are popping up seemingly everywhere a farm had been. Makes me very sad.

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