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Farming at Risk Because of Growth

	Can you help with answers to any of the following?  I am gathering
info for a possible small research project.
	This proposed project would research bringing in new rural
infrastructure or support services to help make farming continue to be
viable.  A few of our agricultural support services have left because
not enough of an agricultural base was left for their particular
business to be profitable.  Our rural area is very threatened by
growth, but still holding its own for the time being.

	Here are my questions:
1.  Do you know of anyone that has done such a study?  Or anyone
researching the area of rural infrastructure and agriculture support
businesses or industries?

2.  Do you know of books or journal articles that discuss this subject?

3.  Do you know of any related experiences in other areas--successful
or unsuccessful?

4.  Please comment on the following ideas I've received from others:
	* Attract a county-based storage facility to our new industrial park
(they're looking for high-tech businesses for the most part) that would
process grains on the premises (eg, flour mill or oil extracting
process).
	Question:  What about nuisance aspects (noise, dust, trucks)?  How
does one find out how large an agricultural base is needed for such a
facility to be profitable?

	* Attract farm equipment dealers with a diversified line for both
farmers and suburban customers--lawn and garden, snowmobiles).
	Question:  Will farm equipment dealers resist this because they want
their farm equipment to be primary?

	*Create a marketing group that could buy and sell blocks of grain from
a number of farmers and lock in on better-priced markets.
	Question:  Will farmers buy into this?  They tend to want to be
independent and act on their own.

5.  Do you have other suggestions for "farmers on the urban edge"?

	Thanks!								Marian Buckner
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