I don't really see small towns drying up as a problem. Seems like a good thing if you farm. No competition for land with developers. Around here the farmer would be much better off(except for those who sold land for 60k/a) if the once small towns of Huntsville and Madison had not grown 100x in size over the last 50 years. However, the upside to having a large metro area close by it is nice to have all the amenities close by.  In the end its goes back to the simple economic principle of supply and demand.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsville,_Alabama