About 2.5 million acres of California farmland are located within one-third mile of residential homes, which can lead to conflicts along the “edge” when new residents come face to face with unfamiliar noises, odors, pesticides and dust.

An article in the July-September 2010 issue of the University of California’s California Agriculture journal explores how communities deal with conflict when new residents – often commuters to urban centers – move into farming areas. The entire issue can be viewed and downloaded at http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org.

"The common wisdom repeated in newspaper reports is that newly arrived edge residents with urban backgrounds are more likely to be upset by local farm operations than residents with rural backgrounds and longer tenure in a locality," writes lead author Alvin D. Sokolow, a UC Davis public policy specialist emeritus, and co-authors. "Our research supports this observation."

To read the entire article, link here.

How do you keep the peace with your urban neighbors? What advice do you have for those who are dealing with conflicts with neighbors? How do you control noise, smell, dust and other by-products of farming and ranching?