Abstract
“Kentucky is not for sale!” declared an agrarian and environmentalist during a discussion of land protection, defying those who would invade his homeland to exploit it for profit. A fine rallying cry—but unfortunately, Kentucky is for sale. Most of the American countryside is privately held, and in America, private land is always for sale. American agrarianism was built around dispersed private ownership of farmland for compelling historical reasons, but it is time to ask whether this can provide a secure foundation for agrarian values in an industrial, market economy. I think the answer is plainly not. Private ownership will