On our last trip to Cheyenne, we came in from the north. I expected the development that has spread there, just not the increase since last time. I get it. Everybody wants to get out of town, whatever town, and some can afford to. The question in my mind is whether the rest of us can afford it. I mentioned the spread of new houses to a native who expressed concern about water levels. Most new wells are eight to nine hundred feet deep, and the new well her family had to drill last year went twice as deep as the former one.
You don’t have to live in eastern Wyoming to know it’s dry country. We have similar issues here, especially this year. The West has always been about water rights, and that battle rages on in various forms. There are different standards for surface water and underground water but both are being rapidly depleted.
Much of the West was settled on lies. “Rain follows the plow.” “A living can be made on the allotment for homesteading.” The lies have changed, but they’re still around. Now they concern the amount of water needed for data centers, and what will happen with waste from commercial feet lots, hog confinements, and nuclear projects.
There are always dilemmas around development. We want our communities to remain viable, and that often means accepting change. Different agendas, as well as dynamics in personal values and priorities can create conflict.
Thirty-odd years ago, Bruce traveled to an area where growth was expanding, and he penned a poem containing the lines, “House upon house, row upon row,” ending with, “What are they going to put on the table?”
That question should be a concern for anyone who eats. Agricultural land is disappearing at an alarming rate. From 1982 to 2022, cropland declined by 55.7 million acres, an area similar to the state of Kansas. Rangeland declined by 16.3 million acres, comparable to West Virginia, with pastureland down 5.7 million acres. Over the same period, developed land increased by 47.6 million acres, comparable to the state of Nebraska.
The vultures are gathering. We receive many unsolicited ads from realtors wanting to list our land for sale. The latest is a large glossy magazine with listings and photos from all over the US. There are a handful of working outfits but most of what they describe as “ranches” are small acreages with huge homes and the promise of recreational development. Prices run into the double figure millions, with little difference between cost of working ranches and play places.
The sad truth is that any business involving agriculture is hard work, and not many young folks want that lifestyle. The average age of ranchers and farmers is north of fifty. If they have no family members who want to carry on it’s tempting to cash out and retire. There are other young people who want to carry the torch, but aren’t able to fund their dreams. For those established farmers and ranchers looking to back off, why not forego the temptation for big money and help someone get started, or make an offer to neighbors wanting to expand? Your community might not have to deal with an absentee landlord who has no concern for local values and traditions, and organizations like 4H and FFA would generate new hope for agriculture.
While contemplating your options, ask yourself this. What are they going to put on the table?