[natelegler]

I know that you understand that farmland has been pulled out during periods when prices were low and the government programs paid more. You also know that farmland is getting bought out for cities to expand. It makes sense why the farmland acres have shrunken there is no argument there.

Output has gone up because yield trend has been increasing. I'd know this because even 10 years ago 200bu corn was great for us...now 250 bu is what we hit.

Am I going to argue there are some operations that do not take proper steps to ensure that what they put on their ground stays on their ground? No because there are. However for our personal operation and a growing number I'd pull water coming out of our field tiles and put it up against the water you buy in the store. Then I'd take the same water coming out of our field tiles against the runoff of water from the parking lot, or the streets in the city or the yards in the suburbs.

There is a reason why I am apart of a growing number of farmers who are pushing for soil health and utilizing practices that benefit the environment in a measurable way. We do not agree with the way a lot of the conventional operations are doing it. Heck there are a handful of solutions that have been presented to the state and national government in order to further move the number of acres that are doing these things to avoid the situation that you mentioned about Ohio and their lakes. We hate that as much as you do.