Farmland speculation threatens agricultural production and land conservation in suburban areas.
Farmland values going up can make owners see farmland as an investment rather than for farming. This can affect how much land is used for agriculture. A study in New Jersey looked at how land value affects farming decisions. They found that when land values rise a lot, more land is used for development. But when values rise less, owners keep more land for farming. This shows that speculation plays a big role in farmland use.