Across the northern plains, farming remains one of the most important engines of state and local economies. Despite this importance, there is an ongoing transformation of land usage across much of the plains (partially driven by energy extraction) that may threaten the health of the farm sector.
For generations, the total number of American famers has been on the decline. While new farm technologies and the concentration of production in the hands of large-scale farms has guaranteed that overall farm production remains high, the drop in the number of farmers has led to increasing pressures on farmland across the country.
When the real estate market was particularly high, farmers faced ongoing threats of suburban development in many formerly rural areas. The explosive growth of suburbs, the need for new roads, new homes, and new businesses sucked away valuable farmland.
The same process is happening in the plains with energy producers. New hydraulic fracturing (fraking) techniques have opened up previously inaccessible gas and petroleum deposits, which have caused an explosion in energy production across the Great Plains.
A recent report by the US Geologic Survey suggests that despite the changes, farming and agriculture is still vital to the Plains States.
“We found that a strong farm economy and the persistence of family farms are just as, if not more so, dependent on a strong off-farm economy and labor market,” said the USGS scientist who led the report.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer