Investors who nothing about farming are increasingly buying farmland to round out their portfolios.
"Here in the heart of the Corn Belt, a majority of the folks who own farmland are not themselves farmers.
...Advocates for family farmers warn that if outside investors continue tobuy up land, it could have profound effects on rural America.
...Already, there are fewer and fewer families to anchor the vast fertileplains of the Midwest. One farmer today takes care of as much ground aseight or 10 farmers did a generation ago. When that farmer has no stakein the land or the crop, he has less incentive to tend the groundcarefully, to preserve its resources and habitats."
Thanks to The Practice of New Urbanism Listserv
Read the full story: City Dwellers Plow Money Into Farmland
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Colorado’s Largest Data Center Could Rise Next to Homes — Without a Public Hearing
The proposed campus would consume 11 times the power of Denver International Airport; as it has across the country, opposition mounts.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Raised interest rates may kill financially vulnerable construction projects
The chief economist at ConstructConnect warns that if construction project owners are negatively impacted by the raised rates, it could result in delayed payments to contractors.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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