Back in August, Gov. Roy Barnes was here in Athens speaking about preserving agriculture in Georgia. His speech was filled with good reasons to save agriculture, but the part of his speech that still stands out in my mind is a quote he used from William Jennings Bryan. I'm sure that there are some out there saying they don't think farmland is worth saving. Well-managed farmland protects our soil, water quality and wildlife habitat. Farming preserves America's agrarian heritage, along with our scenic and historic landscape.
Agriculture provides millions of jobs.
Farmers feed our nation. I could list pages of good answers to this question. However, for me, one of the best reasons why we should save our farms came from a straight-shooting farmer. After hearing phrases that include words like heritage and preservation, I'm sure you're clutching your wallet. However, when suburban-style neighborhoods replace agricultural lands, the increase in demand for public services is usually larger than the contribution to the tax base.