Construction Entertainment -Agriculture Conflict

   This morning I decided to take my daily constitutional walk along Route 13 in South Cortland to observe close hand the many construction projects under way.  I find it entertaining to watch construction projects and drive-by's do not give me sufficient time to savor the scene.  Over the last year or so we have had a plethora of new construction projects sprouting up.   The first project past Bennie Road headed south on Route 13 is a new Cannon Pool business building on the right.   Next on the left one will encounter the construction of the building for the Tractor Supply Company.  Directly across the road from Tractor Supply is the new Byrne Dairy yogurt plant opened earlier this year.   Continuing down the road on the right you will see the building in progress for expansion of  the Pyrotek Corporation.   And finally at the intersection with Gracie and Webb Roads a new Sunoco convenience store and gas station is nearing completion.
   The scenes were bustling with workers digging, paving,  and erecting elements of the buildings.   Construction machinery abounded.   A beautiful day when humans were creating new venues for manufacturing, sales and production of useful products.  At the same tine I was enjoying all the construction activity I was conflicted about the loss of fertile and productive land for agriculture.   Over the past several years there has been a creep of structures over taking some of the best agricultural land in Cortland County and perhaps even in the State of New York.  Yes, it is zoned commercial now and perhaps we should expect this to happen.   The question for me is,  When will it swallow up the the corn and soy bean fields that extend beyond this current spate of construction?  I am reminded that we can expect the world population in a few short years to expand from 7 billion to 9 billion  before it levels off.  I guess I will always lament the loss of valuable agricultural land to other uses,   Meanwhile, I am grateful I still have both the pleasure of observing creative building projects and watching crops growing of the remaining prime agricultural land.  Lets continue to applaud the land owners who put land into a trust that preserves our rural landscape.

Byrne Dairy- Yogurt Plant

Steel Erection at Pyrotek

Soybeans Have Been Harvested

Sunoco Station -Opening Soon

Tractor Supply Nearing Completion