While I don’t disagree with Doug Highland’s recent Forum letter about the loss of small town grocery stores, I believe there’s another factor affecting many businesses in small towns.

That factor is the changed nature of farming.

For decades farming was labor intensive; farms could generally be small and still support a family. However, over recent decades the costs of farm equipment and access to farmland has made farming much more capital intensive. Small “family farms” have generally disappeared; that loss translates into smaller populations in rural areas.

Smaller populations mean that many businesses in small towns — including, but not limited to, grocery stores — have lost customers and sales.

My dad supported our family on a small in farm in northeastern North Dakota. Many of

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