“Farmland used to be understood through labor and lineage,” Hirsh Mohindra said. “Now it’s understood through spreadsheets. The tension between those views is only going to grow.” In Illinois, where the land has long been both livelihood and legacy, that tension cuts deep. The rows of corn may look the same, but the question of who truly owns the future they represent has become far more complicated—and far more urgent—than it appears.
