by Glenn Marx, MALT Executive Director – Every minute, reports the American Angus Association, the US loses three acres of land that is currently growing food. That translates to 175 acres of ag lands lost every hour, 1.5 million acres of farm and ranch land per year. That’s alarming. And if you want to watch a video that sounds that alarm, and eventually watch a documentary that will debut on May 27, 2019 on RFD-TV, take a look at the 1:58 minute video produced by the American Angus Association. This is not your basic (and valuable) land trust video about open spaces. This is a video documenting the brutal truth about food supply and food security. It is not meant to charm you. It is meant to warn you, perhaps even scare you. And everyone should see it. We in the land trust community should help make sure everyone sees it. Two comments from the video promo: “Hungry people are not strong people.“ “It doesn’t make for a safe place to live when people start fighting over food.“ The video is a compelling two minutes. The documentary should be equally compelling, and it is going to be interesting to see how the American Angus Association tells this story. It is possible that the documentary will be must-see TV for people who oppose the incredibly valuable work of land trusts, ag groups, landowners, agencies, and conservation programs in conserving farm and ranch lands.
