Your post reminded me of this scene from Love and Death:
Funny ... Today we drove across vast plains of land, seeing crops that will go to waste this year because of weather, although one harvester was active trying to get something off. (Canola) So it was on my mind.
For some reason, the connection between land and food is missed, while urban sprawl, highways, golf courses, and more switch it from food to some other less pragmatic use. Certainly it's more noticed where it's scarce.