Annexation Won't Save Farms

If we could truly save the farmland with annexation and zoning, wouldn't we have done that already?

If the answer to protecting our farms and borders was really that simple, I believe that Kane County municipalities would have annexed and zoned the farmland years ago.

In the article "Protecting Farmland on the Edge: What Policies and Programs Work?" the author states, "The greatest threat to farmland,...is the rush,...to annex land."

He also states that "local governments should not rely on zoning to protect farming," and that "low-density residential development in rural areas displaces farming as surely as other (forms of) development."

Finally, he concludes that low-density rural development is "the worst kind of sprawl."

I happen to agree with him.