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Page 13 · column 1 of 8 · from the scan, no model involved
Every day in the United States, four square miles of the nation’s prime farm lands are shifted to uses other than agriculture. The thief is urban sprawl.
Today, there are highways and houses, airports and shopping centers on land that once produced an abundance of grain and timber, forage, vegetables and fruits. There are motels and reservoirs, industrial parks and power plants on land where farmers once grazed their cattle and harvested crops. American agriculture is hailed as the most productive in the world. In 1980, the value of agricultural exports exceeded 40 billion dollars. American farm products feed this nation’s population, they mean the difference between life and death to millions of less fortunate people whose lives are marred by chronic hunger, and they are essential to a favorable balance of trade.
89.3%