Illinois Has Lost Drastically More Farmland than Any Other State

Few would argue against the concept that agriculture has always been at the heart of life in Illinois. If that is accurate, Illinois has heart trouble as there's proof the state has lost more farmland in the past 23 years than any other state in America.

This word comes directly from the University of Illinois based on a study by Ohio State University. It's a paper called "Agricultural Land Lost to Development in the Midwest" that explores how much agricultural land has been converted into commercial development. Far and away, Illinois has lost the most farmland. 

The percentage of farmland lost in Illinois also is higher than the rest of the country.

Where has Illinois been losing the most farmland?

The study shows 3 main areas of Illinois where farmland has been converted to commercial development. The Chicagoland area, the land near St. Louis and the middle of the state.

The problem is once that farmland has been converted, there's no going back. You can't remove a parking lot and expect the Illinois land underneath to become rich again for crops. It just doesn't work that way.

Times change and progress moves forward, but unless something is done to protect the farmland in Illinois from becoming concrete, the agricultural heart of the state will suffer and so will the rest of America that depends on it.