States with the largest share of their land designated farmland.

[yellowdogintexas]

6. the farmers I know are still doing things pretty much the way they always have,except

they have better equipment. We are not talking Big Agra here. These are 4th and 5th generation family farms. They rotate the beans, corn and wheat from field to field to replenish the soil enzymes. Every year a different crop surrounds my sister's house. I get the feeling they are pretty much doing things exactly the way they want it done.

Cropdusting is not nearly as common as it used to be, at least in Southern KY. I remember being kept in the house when the dusters were flying and not allowed to play in the yard for a few days after.

The biggest complaint I hear from my sister is about land no longer farmed and sold for home construction. The city to the south in Tennessee is urban crawling its way up to KY and new factory development is encroaching as well. A lot of the land being sold is owned by descendents of folks from 3 generations back who just want to sell it while they can still have the $$. Local farmers try to pick it up when they can but the sales often happen so fast they don't have a chance.