Urbanization is closing in on the rest of the metro region as well. Urban sprawl is not the only threat to traditional agriculture. Experts cite a litany of other challenges for family farmers, from depressed commodity prices to the dominance of huge agricultural corporations. Still, the march of suburbanization takes a unique toll on farmers like Oberhaus and Stigler. People act like you're doing this on purpose to screw up their day.
Farmers also have to fend off complaints about the stink of manure.
Or worry about where to find parts for their farm implements. For Stigler, the nearest John Deere dealer is in Burlington, a half-hour away. It makes him sad. When you've spent half your life in farming on a piece of land, it's very hard to see it turn into a housing development. The ever-upbeat Oberhaus, surveying a similar transformation in his part of the county, is more amazed than melancholy.