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Across the Fence:  Our disappearing farm land  |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 1:54:44 PM
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This morning as I was driving from my home in the country to my job in Fort Worth, I discovered that one of my favorite, very beautiful pastures has been sold to CENTURY 21 HOMES. This pasture is only about a mile from my home so I pass it daily. I had noticed recently that there were no longer cattle grazing and now I know why. This is an area of about 50 acres so I feel ill thinking about how many homes will be squeezed into this area!
Since my co-workers tend to dwell in the city or suburbs, I knew that they would not be able to understand my grief. However, I suddenly realized that the Mary Jane Chat Forum was where I needed to go. Connie
cozycottage |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 2:00:35 PM
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I'm right there with you Connie...one of my favorite country drives, a lush bottom ground wheat field by a river is being turned into a soccer complex for the city! The farmer is being pushed out by emminant domain of all things! That means traffic jams, angry parents in huge SUV's, basically that sacred peace will be lost now...I know what you are feeling and it does hurt the soul.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 2:32:02 PM
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My condolences to you Connie. I experienced this within the last 10 years. An 11 acre orchard was subdivided just up the road from me. In went 60 new homes.  The worst part of it is the traffic. It was never quiet on my street, but now it is a main thoroughfare... and of course no one obeys the 30mph speed limit. They go roaring down the street. One of my achilles heels....(And of course since then, more orchards have been turned into subdivisions further up the way).... I'm trying to adjust.
Just last weekend it was sunny outside, moderately warm (50) and even though the wind was blowing a pretty good clip, I chose to sit outside and listen to the wind. It drowned out the traffic noise, that's how hard it was blowing. I grew up in a windy valley, so even though it's hard to endure constant wind, I found it bringing me comfort on Saturday. We must seek and find those things that will always bring us comfort. Ask your Creator for ways to cope and they will be provided to you. I am with you in Spirit, and I'm sending you blessings, Connie. 
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 2:38:49 PM
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We here on the east coast have been dealing with this dilemna for the last 20 years and it breaks my heart. Our only recourse to preserve open space is to have the farmers broker a deal for farm land conservancy that will not allow the land to be developed in the ways you've described. If the properties have any historical relevance there are historical grants for preservation if there is interest. There are ways, but unfortunately alot of land owners who are selling want the money quickly and these are not options( usually protracted) that they want to consider.That's why our little pieces of Eden are so precious, so enjoy them all the more. Connie, I definitely hear you, my parents house (a converted mill) was surrounded by McMansions and it is just SAD.
with a happy heart |
Edited by - bramble on Apr 12 2005 2:43:06 PM |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 2:54:51 PM
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To read all your comments, from points all over this country, really breaks my heart, too. Our northwest Florida area, always a place of small population and quiet beaches, called the Forgotten Coast, is no longer forgotten. Massive amounts of pine forest, once owned by the St. Joe Paper Company are now being cut and developed. People from far away cities, not even what you could call a neighbor, are buying extremely expensive homes for vacation destinations, and the result is that the folks who lived in the quiet fishing villages along the Gulf Coast can no longer afford to live in their own communities. And the thousands of acres of trees that are being cut down is a sin. Eagles, osprey, sea turtles, manatees, fox, black bear, all kinds of wildlife are losing their homes, too. All in the name of $.
My husband and I almost cry when we drive to the coast and see the destuction (they call it construction). It was a paradise, and Joni Mitchell said it best "they paved Paradise and put up a parking lot."
jpbluesky
"Keep us here, all simply in the springing of the year." From A Prayer in Spring by Robert Frost |
Edited by - jpbluesky on Apr 12 2005 3:08:01 PM |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2005 : 3:02:04 PM
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So well said JP...
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2005 : 10:16:49 AM
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 You are all speaking to a topic of deep concern for me as well. In our 35 years of marriage we have bought and sold our home 4 times to leave the loud city noise and traffic behind for the more peaceful sounds of the fields and pastures. Our last home was to have been our retirement and the place where all the kids would come home for christmas etc. Alas we were surrounded by a complex of 4 story apartment buildings 5 years after we moved in that were build on dairy farm land right up to our back property border and less that 40 feet from our bedroom windows. The decks of these apartments looked right into our bedrom and bathroom. The drunken sailors who rented them threw their beer bottles right off of their decks into our wildlife refuge along with cigarette butts and other trash!!! Within 5 more years we had within walking distance, walmart, mcdonalds, a huge safeway, 6 gas station minimarts and several other small pad complexes that were being built for doctors clinics, pizza parlors etc. The noise was huge! We sold our dream home to move farther out. We are now 17 miles out from a small QFC grocery and in an area that looks like it might take a while for the development to reach us but we are already seeing the signs! A small 5 acre horse ranch about a mile up the road sold for over $180,000.00 without a good well and only a small wreck of a house. I am certain that the people who bought it are planning to build something big. Our country road has now got a 55 mile an hour speed limit making it hazardous for us to even slow down for our driveway, people pass in no passing blind corners when we slow to turn. So many near misses! Our neighbors chickens seem to like to get out onto this highway for some reason and many have been hit. Also we have become Harley Davidson destination weekend rumble runs!!!!! From Early Friday afternoon until very late Sunday nights almost all year long we hear the constant rumble of these deafening groups of motorcycles as they pass our driveway, as many as 15 to 20 at a time. We cannot have any kind of a peaceful picnic outside on the weekends. I can't figure out how these motorcycle manufacturers and the owners of these deafening machines get away with the noise level when if my car makes a sound anywhere near the level of these machines I would get a ticket. Anyway, all that said I am beginning to think that there is nowhere in the usa that is a quiet refuge anymore. I am defenitely with Clare in finding my peace from my insides out. I look for times I can be outside when the sounds of the wildlife and nature are undisturbed and am fortunate to live in a place where I get some time most weeks with quiet refuge.
Our bedroom is a 20 foot yurt and we are now awakened every morning to the sound of jake brakes from the trucking industry at 3:45 in the morning. Our plans include building a cobb and bale home that will insulate out a large portion of these sounds. We plan to get started on that project this summer.
Now that I am done complaining I just want to say that in spite of all of this I think I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and I do all I can within my power to keep it that way in my little part of it. In another thread concerning gardens and yards as spiritual spaces many of us have shared how we are attempting to make a difference. Each of us can create a space of quiet refuge for our spirits and the local wildlife if we continue to live consciously.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2005 : 11:26:49 AM
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Eileen, I have to endure huge semi's barreling down our gravel road day and night kicking up clouds of dirt and gravel. There is a paved major road just to the east and it got so bad the neighbors got an ordinance started AGAINST the use of jake brakes. Now there are signs posted saying jake break use is prohibited. It did cut down on the noise level considerably. Maybe you could contact your Dept. of Transportation there to see if something could be done about it... There also are weight limits on trucks too. Our quiet stillness and peace that we enjoyed here 20 years ago is just a memory now...I too am searching for that "place". But there are times early at sunrise when all I can hear are the songbirds and toads in the pond and this sustains me. You are correct Eileen in that we all need to find ways to live conciously where we are at.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2005 : 11:39:02 AM
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I feel it too...not at home, but here in Calif where I grew up. We were here exactly a year ago for my dad's funeral and the growth in that year even is unbelievable!!! Where there were walnut groves and strawberry fields when I grew up here there are housing developments and strip malls now. I hate it. The hills arn't covered with pastures and cattle, but rows of identical houses (I HATE identical houses) and it is really sad to see.
Jenny in Utah
Bloom where you are planted! |
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connio
True Blue Farmgirl
535 Posts
connie
springtown
texas
USA
535 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2005 : 11:47:05 AM
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Good morning to all and thanks for all of your comments. I knew that I would find an empathetic crowd here. Eileen, I really liked the last sentence of your email in regard to "creating a refuge for your spirit and the wildlife." This is what I plan to do with my little rural home and land.
Would like to contribute something cheerful this morning. The wildflowers are just gorgeous in Texas at this time of year. As I drove in this morning, my heart soared with joy at the sight of the beautiful bluebonnets and Indian paint brushes. Wish that I had a digital camera; I would send photos. However, since I do not, I would encourage you to go to "Google Images" and bring up some lovely photos.
Once again ladies, thank you for all of your kind thoughts and words.
Connie a.k.a "Connio"
cozycottage |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 3:23:23 PM
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I belong to a great organization called American FArmland Trust. They support farmers all across the U.S. It kills me to see all these houses built on top of one another. Where do people come from and what happens to the old homes. AND how do they afford these astronomical places??? "Starting at only $399,900...."
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 3:35:28 PM
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Kim, Do they have a web site? I am very interested! Thanks
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 3:44:34 PM
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Yes they do!
www.farmland.org
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 3:53:06 PM
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Wow thanks Kim! Great stuff there! In my local paper there is always news of battles between big businesses, developers and the like and farmer/landowners. It is really getting out of hand in my state!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl
146 Posts
Kim
Pflugerville
Texas
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 4:21:41 PM
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Mine too and it has affected a friend of ours who wanted to make his pig farm bigger. Our community has done everything in their power to stop him.
farmgirl@heart
Be at peace with yourself and the rest will follow |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 4:47:35 PM
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It is a battle in every state. Just don't stop raising your own animals and food whatever you do. The world crude oil supply will run out someday and when it does those of us left who know how to do without it and raise our own food and husband animals will be the ones who have skills and knowledge that will be in demand. Nature does know how to take care of itself and she will reclaim all of the lost farmland. Just look at how fast the weeds and grasses grow on abandoned lots even if they have been paved over. I believe that the wierd weather, all of the strange migrations of wildlife and marine mammals and all of the earthquaking are telling us that nature is struggling to breathe and will throw off the covering of concrete very soon. Continue to learn the arts of farming and animals and create little wildernesses for the wildlife. Do what you can where you are and little by little we can make a difference.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 5:14:28 PM
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I also firmly believe that the pesticide, herbicide and chemical fertilizing we are doing to our lands for bigger yields is killing the planet. We had a horrific struggle in our own neighborhood with land application of human sewage sludge for dumping on farmground. The smell is horrific, it made us very ill, and affected the basic quality of our life for 7 years. We had to take legal action against the landowner ( who by the way was a wealthy developer, not a farmer)and I did two years of research on the subject for our fight. we GOT HIM STOPPED, and that is all we wanted was for him to stop so we could enjoy our property again and not smell human waste and be exposed to the virus, bacterial chemical toxins. I guess I became an environmental activist by accident...but I am a mother and I love my little piece of land and I was mad as #**#. Google the word sewage sludge or biosolids and see what comes up! This is going on all over the country and is backed by the EPA. It is frightening...people have died from exposure to this stuff!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 8:27:05 PM
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| Reminds me of the opening scenes in Kevin Costner's movie The Postman, Eileen. That may turn out to be quite prophetic. |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2005 : 8:48:31 PM
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Bayoubunch, the fact that you raise your herbs in raised beds is a good idea. Do you notice earthworms in the soil? Soil with a good population of worms is a healthy sign. I still find them in spots where there hasn't been any farming for years and I am always careful how I dig in those areas so as not to disturb them. I try to transplant them to the more heavily gardened areas.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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jamie
Farmgirl in Training
33 Posts
jamie
33 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2005 : 5:15:28 PM
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Wow ladies! Really interesting topic going on here. It is so sad to hear that this is going on all over our country. Like someone previously said, "where are these people coming from and what's happening to the old houses?" It is such a vicious cycle with no easy answer. The farmer anymore has to either get big or get out and I suppose when they are approached by a land developer with $$ it is hard to refuse. My husband worked on a farm down in Peoria, AZ (suburb of Phoenix) and that farm was one of the first ones in that area many years ago. Well when my husband went to work there in 1999 the farm was completely surrounded by major highways, interstates, etc. In fact when we were there one of the dairy cows had gotten out and was run over by speeding traffic. That whole area had once been farmland. My husband tells me that they can get more money by selling their land to the developers than they could to keep farming it. We have to keep supporting our local farmers!! I can reassure you that there are still little patches of heaven left in the country. My family farm is in northern Montana just three miles from the Canadian border. I was just home this past weekend and was in awe of the peacefulness. Our nearest neighbor is three miles away. All you hear are the birds, the sounds of the livestock, and occasional breezes. My husband and I would like to go back and farm it one day in the near future. I have resisted going because it is so isolated but hearing all of these comments makes me appreciate it more now. People laugh when I tell them the nearest town is 15 miles away and that is a size of 1500. For major shopping we have to drive about 3 hours. The nearest McDonalds is 60miles away and that is just fine with me. I don't think we'll ever see in my lifetime (I'm 29) suburban development in my area. If anything, people are either dying off or moving away to the larger cities for better paying jobs and "easier" lifestyle. My generation doesn't want to take over the family farm because they want the security of a paycheck and benefits. You can't really blame them. I think we need to band together and support the remaining family farms. I am sure that most farmers would have much rather kept their farms but just couldn't resist the $$.
Take care, Jamie |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2005 : 2:01:01 PM
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I have been to places in Montana where you still can hear nature instead of traffic. I am sure that there must be places like it in all of our states but urban sprawl is on the move and seems to be speeding up as time goes by. What used to take 20 years is now being acomplished in just 4 or 5 years. Bigger equipment and richer developers.I think what makes me the saddest on this issue is seeing a place that was a huge dairy farm 20 years ago that was turned into a shopping mall about 15 years ago is now 90% abandoned for another landfil project with newer buildings. Instead of improving what they have already built they fill in another wetland and build a bigger and better? building. Meanwhile the other location is empty, with forlorn looking broken down signs and for sale signs. I think this is the way big business gets big writeoffs on their taxes so that they can keep on filling in and destroying the farmland. I would like to see this practice stopped. I would like to see some legislation that requires the developers to return the abandoned lands to their natural state before they get the permits to rebuild somewhere else rather than leave this wake of destruction in their path, Enough for my soap box.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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jallibunn
Farmgirl in Training
12 Posts
Jodi
Missoula
MT
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2005 : 2:31:56 PM
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Hey, everyone out there, you can do something to stop farmland being turned into new sloburbs! Help keep the farmers in business so they don't need to subdivide their land. When the strawberries from Central America and the apples from New Zealand show up at the store, don't buy them. Every time you make a choice to eat local food, in season, it is a quiet act of rebellion against the destruction of our country's capacity to feed itself. Without getting completely political on you all, it's pretty apparent that where we spend our money is about the only vote we have left.
It means that you have to wait until strawberries are in season, but that makes them all the more special.
I'm part of a group here, Grubshed, that has been trying to eat as much local food as possible for the last two years. We grow most of our food through a custom CSA by Garden City Harvest, a great organization that runs CSAs and community gardens throughout Missoula. I've been tracking our food dollars for the last two years, and we are eating 50% locally. We're saving fuel and keeping farmers in business, and the food is oh so delicious. And the growing season here is only about 120 days!
It's so great for our kids as well. My four-year-old spent the morning helping me plant chard at the community garden.
The efforts of ten families here in Missoula aren't stopping sprawl or the loss of farmland. But if more people did it, it would make a difference. Only thirty years ago, most people ate local food. Now, 90% is imported an average of 1300 miles. |
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl
1199 Posts
Eileen
USA
1199 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2005 : 2:40:11 PM
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Isn't it amazing how wonderful locally grown food tastes in comparison? Home grown strawberries are just about ready and I can't wait. The grocery store imports are so tasteless and dissappointing. It is worth the wait for the locals.
Eileen
songbird; singing joy to the earth |
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Clare
True Blue Farmgirl
2173 Posts
NC WA State
USA
2173 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2005 : 2:57:52 PM
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I'm with you Jodi on the politcal sentiments, and it's nice to see a grassroots effort taking place to stop the destruction of farmland. Missoula is a pretty progressive place, isn't it? Good for you and your group.
I know it's going to require a huge cultural revolution to change the eating and buying habits of the general public, but I intend to do my small part toward that. WTO may have been a blessing to some countries, but to our American farmers it has been detrimental. Not to mention the role that advertising plays in all of the junk food people are willing to spend their hard earned money on.
Okay, enough venting.
EAT LOCAL is a good motto.
****Gardener, Stitcher, Spiritual Explorer and Appreciator of all Things Natural****
"Begin to weave and God will give the thread." - German Proverb |
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MeadowLark
True Blue Farmgirl
2206 Posts
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - May 12 2005 : 3:59:25 PM
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Thank you for the post Jodi! Kudos for what you are doing! I do try to support our farmers market during the season. I wish there were more like you where I live but alas the mentality here is very frustrating in the ag community. There are small steps being made though and putting the information out there to all American consumers is necessary! Our government has GOT to change its ag policies or the small local farmers are doomed in favor of big corporation run cash cow subsidized mega farms! Sorry for the ranting but this is an issue I find very frustrating living in a heavy Ag state like Kansas. I DO not buy the kind of produce you mentioned! Best of luck to you!
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi, 13th century. |
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RstyLdy
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Linda
Knoxville
TN
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2005 : 08:35:51 AM
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I am all for preserving farmland and open spaces, but isn't there just a wee bit of hyprocracy going on here? Unless we're all actually farmers (not just "farmgirls at heart"), why is it great for us to want to get out of the city and enjoy all that country life has to offer but deny other would-be farmfolks-at-heart the same opportunity? Afterall, weren't we all outsiders at one point? Our neighbors up the road might have enjoyed the pasture land that is now our beloved country home.
Decreasing the sprawl that is invading our rural areas will happen when people (non farmers) either begin to realize the benefits of living in urban areas or they can no longer afford the gas from traveling from country homes to city jobs.
Something to think about.
Urban Linda |
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Across the Fence: Our disappearing farm land |
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Our disappearing farm land
