Fall 2000

Caught in conflict
By Steve Leer

Merrill Kelsay tries to be a good neighbor. The Johnson County resident keeps his property up, doesn't create trouble and works hard to foster an esprit de corps with those who live around him.

If he were like many people, Kelsay could move to the country to escape inconsiderate neighbors. But that is not an option; he already lives in the country.

With I-65 traffic rushing past his Johnson County farm, Merrill Kelsay is feeling the aftermath of urban sprawl. (Photo by Tom Campbell)

The peaceful isolation that once characterized Kelsay's little corner of the world may be lost forever. The 51-year-old dairy and crop farmer is surrounded by former urbanites fleeing the sprawl, smog and traffic of neighboring Indianapolis for the slower, simpler rural lifestyle. Subdivisions, custom-built homes and business parks are going up around him faster than the fourth-generation farmer's corn.

"We try to keep our farm as attractive as possible," Kelsay says, as cars whiz by on Interstate 65, clearly visible from his office window. "Maybe we've done too good a job, because everybody wants to move out here."

Vanderburgh County farmer Ray Rexing knows just how Kelsay feels. A golf course, homes and condominiums are under construction on one side of his homestead, while industrial parks and retail businesses are being developed on another side.

Stories like these are becoming more common statewide, say Purdue University experts. They call the phenomenon "urban encroachment."

Purdue extension educators like Rick Chase try to help farmers and their urban neighbors find common ground. Chase developed a workshop called "The Rural-Urban Conflict" that he uses to help people understand both sides and look for ways to avoid friction. (Photo by Tom Campbell)

Rick Chase, a member of the Purdue Land Use Team, says the lines dividing city and country are gradually disappearing. As the geographical lines vanish, cultural differences become apparent. City dwellers who relocate to the country expecting paradise are often put off when they experience the sights and smells of production agriculture. And farmers bristle when their new, non-farm neighbors complain about accepted agricultural practices rather than try to understand them.

The problem is magnified as Hoosiers become increasingly detached from their agricultural heritage, says Chase, who's also the interim director of Purdue Extension's Central District.

"For generations, everyone had a direct connection to agriculture," he says. "What you see happening more and more is fewer people have that connection. I run into people who have no concept about what it's like in the country or what it takes to produce food."

Purdue Extension is addressing the urban encroachment issue with both local governments and individual citizens in an effort to help communities find some common ground.

The land use team provides training for county plan commissions, many of which are contending with urban-rural issues for the first time, like commercial and residential development expanding into areas that were once predominately farmland.

One such program was held in Shelbyville earlier this year. Shelby County commissioners and planning officials listened as Chase and others discussed planning and zoning laws, ethical questions surrounding land use decisions and conducting effective planning and zoning meetings.

Purdue Extension is addressing the urban encroachment issue with both local governments and individual citizens in an effort to help communities find some common ground.

The land use team provides training for county plan commissions, many of which are contending with urban-rural issues for the first time, like commercial and residential development expanding into areas that were once predominately farmland.

One such program was held in Shelbyville earlier this year. Shelby County commissioners and planning officials listened as Chase and others discussed planning and zoning laws, ethical questions surrounding land use decisions and conducting effective planning and zoning meetings.