The state of <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />California, and specifically the county of Stanislaus is, as you are aware, a major region of agriculture and food production in the United States. Recently, sprawl has begun to pose a threat to our local agricultural communities as small towns and cities begin taking on more growth and higher population concentrations. Cities are expanding rapidly and many farms and orchards are being replaced by sprawling low density buildings. Our city, Hughson, has proposed zoning for commercial buildings outside of the city and near agricultural land by the roads Gear and Santa Fe. This kind of proposition is what encourages sprawl and the inevitable overgrowth of small cities and destruction of precious agricultural land.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />