MPR’s Perry Finelli looks at Minnesota cropland. While not an endangered commodity, some contend it's being lost too quickly in places where farming has been a way of life. The United States Agriculture Department says even though urban areas are growing, Minnesota's cropland has not been reduced. That's because the urban landscape is still only a tiny fraction of the state's total amount of land.

Since the end of World War II, Minnesota's urban areas have more than doubled, while cropland has grown at just six-percent. Despite development that can encroach on farmland, cities and towns still make up only about two-and-a-half percent of all the land in Minnesota.