Chicago has announced plans that would make it home to the country's largest urban farm in the city's poverty-stricken South Side district.

Farmers have been planting rows of crops for thousands of years, but the future of farming may be a bit less spread out as a recent article in the Wall Street Journal reports on the ever-increasing vertical farming movement.

While the Obama Administration just announced plans to make major cuts affecting the nation's farmers in the new deficit reduction proposal “Living Within Our Means and Investing in the Future,” farming is showing no signs of slowing down—especially in American cities.

The move towards urban homesteading is a trend that is taking root in the counterculture twenty-something demographic in cities around the country, and it's showing no signs of slowing down.

Prince Charles, who once admitted to talking to his plants, is now encouraging everyone to grow an organic garden; even a tiny garden can yield fruits and vegetables, reduce carbon and feed local birds and insects.

In 1980, Prince Charles purchased his country home, Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, England, with the intention of turning it into an organic farm and garden. Today, its acres grow fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, leeks, carrots and Brussels sprouts. Also grown are native and endangered plants like jasmine, crane's bill, yellow rattle, lilies and honeysuckle.

The community is holding nightly candle light vigils to show their strength and support for the preservation of their farm but I am not sure how long this can go on with the destruction of the farm. It’s sad that the land owner Developer Ralph Horowitz and the farmers could not come to a common ground and accept a last ditch offer $16 million from the Annenberg Foundation (which is probably well above what the property is worth).

Initially Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office was able to raise $6 million in donations to purchase the property. Horowitz however wanted $16.3 million to sell the site.

The Annenberg Foundation announced last week that it would offer $10 million in cash with an agreement to finance the remainder of the $6 million. Horowitz rejected the offer. Upset at the way he’s been vilified by the farmers and their supporters, he demanded the farmers removal at 5am on Tuesday morning.

In a phone call by Mayor Villaraigosa to Horowitz, the Mayor stressed his support for the Annenberg Foundation’s offer. Horowitz said that the land was worth even more now and that he wouldn’t sell to the farmers because of their ungrateful attitude.

The Mayor said to reporters, "I told him that from my vantage point, this is a more than fair offer. This is an opportunity for us to have an urban garden in the city that wants to be the greenest big city in America," Villaraigosa said. "And he said, well, that was nice but he wasn't accepting."

The Mayor went on to say, "I understand a businessman's need to invest and make a profit. I also have a high respect for and will defend property rights, but I also believe that we are called upon by a sense of community and civic duty to do the just and right thing. I had hoped that the landowner would have heeded that call."

It’s sad to say but I think the farmers are going to lose this fight.