In Virginia during the same period, farmland fell from 12 million to 8.2 million acres. Some of that land was lost to suburban sprawl and other development, although how much is open to debate. Other economic pressures facing farmers claimed some land. Mechanization, higher productivity and stagnant farm prices, for instance, have forced farms to get bigger or shut down. . . . The loss of farmland is not the only impact of sprawl on farming operations.
Farmers encounter newcomers complaining about chemical spraying and other farming practices.
They suffer vandalism from people who throw cans, bottles and other trash into their fields and drive vehicles through their crops. On the other hand, farmers may find opportunities to produce crops for a growing suburban market. Many people see sprawl-related loss of farmland and other open spaces as hurting their quality of life and food security. Land that is preserved in farmland doesn't require the expensive public services of residential or commercially developed land. And in Virginia and other Chesapeake Bay states, conservationists much prefer farmland that is properly managed to prevent the runoff of pollutants over developed land.