The prevailing theme fueling land markets since 2007 has been profitable crop production and low interest rates.

The very act of preparing a vegetable garden encourages weeds.

A hard frost will cause the alfalfa stems to “shepherd hook” or act as a lazy stem.

While environmental damage, such as winter injury and last summer’s flooding, are likely causes, insect and disease issues also may be playing a part.

For now, employment will be driven more by short-term or temporary jobs, such as those associated with construction, drilling and fracking. Long-term ...