Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century (2010) / Chapter Skim
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2 A Pivotal Time in Agriculture
Pages 43-82

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From page 43...
... . 2 Indirect energy use in farming includes energy used off farm to manufacture farm inputs.
From page 44...
... Despite such advances, much progress in agriculture focuses on primarily one goal -- satisfy human food, feed, and fiber fuel needs -- and secondarily on the goals of enhancing environmental quality or resource base and of sustaining the economic vitality of 2.0 Energy Use Per Unit of Total Farm Output 1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 1948 1951 1954 1957 1960 1963 1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 FIGURE - Total farm output per unit of energy use over time. NOTE: Energy input use if total farm output was 1 in 1996.
From page 45...
... There are growing concerns about whether the trends of increasing productivity per acre of land can continue while maintaining or restoring the natural resource base upon which agriculture depends. Similarly, researchers and some members of the public are increasingly worried about many of the unintended negative consequences of agricultural production -- for example, the effect of agriculture on environmental quality and ecosystem functioning, the potential risks of agricultural pollutants or risks of contamination of food and water by agricultural input to human health, and the safety and nutritional content of the food produced.
From page 46...
... accounted for 75 percent of total farm sales (USDA-NASS, 2002)
From page 47...
... farm products and the rapid consolidation and vertical integration of national and global food processing, distribution, and retailing sectors (MacDonald and McBride, 2009)
From page 48...
... represent over 80 percent of total farm numbers, but produce less than 10 percent of total farm sales. Because a farm is defined in the Census of Agriculture as any operation that sold or could have sold more than $1,000 worth of agricultural products, many of those small farm operators might not even consider themselves to be farmers, and most of those farms are run as recreational or lifestyle farms by people who rely mainly on off-farm income or who are retired.
From page 49...
... farms, produced 16.5 percent of all farm sales, and managed another quarter of the nation's farmland and nearly 30 percent of its cropland. Small and mid-sized family farms together owned two-thirds of the total value of farmland, buildings, and equipment and managed roughly 60 percent of all U.S.
From page 50...
... Total) Farms 14.0 20.7 36.4 11.7 4.5 3.9 4.6 4.1 Value of Productiona 0.9 2.3 3.7 2.2 5.8 10.7 54.3 22.9 Total Government Payments 3.3 9.9 12.1 7.2 11.0 16.1 33.1 7.4 Production Expenses 1.7 3.2 5.8 3.2 5.4 9.5 48.6 22.5 Net Cash Farm Income –1.3 1.4 –1.2 0.8 7.4 13.9 60.5 18.4 Value of Farm Assetsb 5.9 11.8 18.1 8.9 8.4 11.5 25.2 10.3 Hired Farm Workers 3.5 7.6 11.7 6.9 6.2 8.4 34.1 21.6 Farmland 4.6 9.7 13.1 9.5 11.3 13.3 22.9 15.6 Cropland 3.6 8.0 11.0 7.4 11.5 16.6 34.0 7.9 Irrigated Land 1.5 3.0 4.6 3.8 7.4 13.1 50.6 16.0 Conservation Program Landc 7.5 26.1 26.6 11.6 6.3 5.8 7.6 8.5 Crop Insurance Acresd 1.2 2.8 5.0 4.8 13.2 21.0 44.3 7.6 Organic Farms 16.4 12.1 27.3 19.6 8.1 4.6 4.9 7.2 Organically Certified Land 6.0 6.5 11.8 13.4 16.3 15.2 19.4 11.3 Organic Produce Sales 1.5 1.7 3.2 4.3 9.0 10.5 41.6 28.1 aMarket value of agricultural product sales.
From page 51...
... Small and mid-sized farms received 88 percent of U.S. total government payments for conservation programs in 2006 (Hoppe et al., 2008)
From page 52...
... Agriculture, 2002 TABLE - Percentage of U.S. Total Farms Raising Farm Sales from U.S.
From page 53...
... The three regions are the "heartland" region in the corn belt, where cash grain and cattle and hog production dominates; the "fruitful rim" along the Pacific coast, southern Texas, and Florida where large farms are concentrated and fruit, vegetable, nursery, and cotton production dominates; and the "northern crescent," a traditional dairy and cash grain region. Farm commodity systems and production practices often differ markedly across the various farm resource regions in the United States.
From page 54...
... Such economic concerns as farm sector profitability and rising input costs and such social concerns as labor justice, food quality and safety, animal welfare, and community well-being are also becoming more prominent. Increasing Demand on U.S.
From page 55...
... In the early years of corn grain ethanol production, there was little impact on the U.S. corn market because of the slow growth of the ethanol industry, higher corn yields, and large corn stocks (Baker and Zahniser, 2006)
From page 56...
... Influence on Food Security As of 2009, the overwhelming bulk of biofuel produced in the United States was corn grain ethanol (Wescott, 2009) , although some biodiesel is produced from soybean and animal fats.
From page 57...
... , which included 33.2 million acres of agricultural lands -- including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and forest land -- that were converted to developed uses (for example, large urban and built-up areas, small built-up areas, and rural transportation land) from 1982 to 2001 (Figure 2-8)
From page 58...
... The economic return for farming on higher-quality soils tends to be better than farming on lower-quality soils and marginal lands for food production. A related concern is that of pressure for nonfarm development in areas where many high-value specialty crops are grown.
From page 59...
... When the rate of extraction exceeds the rate of recharge by natural processes, ground water is said to be in a state of overdraft, and water levels drop. Under prolonged overdraft conditions, the water level of an aquifer can fall to a depth where it is no longer economically feasible to pump and the resource becomes exhausted.
From page 60...
... Increased frequency of droughts is of particular concern in the arid Southwestern United States, where water resources are already stretched and the population is increasing rapidly, and in the southern regions of the Ogallala where shifts to dryland farming are expected. Crop yields could be further decreased because of changes in the dynamic between crops and weeds, pests, and diseases as a result of climate change (Patterson et al., 1999)
From page 61...
... ion, which is very soluble, does not bind to stationary soil particles, and is extremely mobile in soil. If not taken up by plants, nitrates can seep below the root zone to ground water.
From page 62...
...  TOWARD SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS IN THE 21ST CENTURY BOX - H ypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia refers to a state reached within coastal waters where oxygen levels drop below 2 mg/L, cre ating conditions that threaten the survival of fish and other aquatic animals. Hypoxia can be caused by the presence of excess nutrients in water, which cause intensive growth of algae.
From page 63...
... . A large proportion of antibiotics added in animal feed is excreted in urine and manure, and the antibiotics will end up in soil and possible surface and ground water if that urine and manure is applied to cropland (Kumar et al., 2005)
From page 64...
... Physical soil degradation includes soil erosion, breakdown of soil structure, soil compaction, reduction in water infiltration and increased runoff, anaerobiosis, and desertification (Lal,
From page 65...
... Less-than-optimal soil quality raises production costs in the long term, lowers production potential, and accentuates production variability" (Harwood, 1994, pp.
From page 66...
... Not all breeding efforts, however, have led to reduced genetic diversity. The NRC study Agricultural Crop Issues and Policies (1993b)
From page 67...
... To slow or prevent the loss of crop genetic diversity worldwide and provide for the fair sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, a number of international agreements have been developed to encourage preservation of genetic diversity and to promote the exchange of germplasm. The most important is the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which entered into force in June 2004.
From page 68...
... . NOTES: Gross farm income includes estimated value ofs 2-12.ep total farm production plus direct government payments.
From page 69...
... . According to data collected by the Census of Agriculture, only 38 percent of farms reported receiving government payments in 2007 (16 percent participated in conservation programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program; 2 percent received a loan from the Commodity Credit Corporation; and 31 percent participated in other federal farm programs)
From page 70...
... Crop Farms Oilseed and grain farming 78.6 25.8 28.7 38.4 36.5 4.052 50.7 33.0 Vegetable and melon farming 15.1 4.9 4.5 6.0 29.6 0.092 1.1 29.2 Fruit and tree nut farming 18.4 6.0 5.0 6.6 26.9 0.059 0.7 26.7 Greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture production 17.0 5.6 4.7 6.3 27.5 0.025 0.3 27.4 Other crop farminga 19.3 6.3 5.3 7.1 27.6 2.244 28.1 18.1 Specialty crop farms (combined) b 50.5 16.5 14.1 18.9 27.9 0.175 2.2 27.7 All crop farms 148.4 48.6 48.1 64.5 32.4 6.471 81.1 29.3 Livestock Farms Poultry and egg production 37.9 12.4 8.7 11.6 22.9 0.060 0.7 22.8 Dairy cattle and milk production 35.1 11.5 10.6 14.2 30.1 0.312 3.9 29.5 Cattle feedlots 30.4 9.9 3.0 4.0 9.8 0.103 1.3 9.5 Beef cattle ranching and farming 28.4 9.3 2.6 3.5 9.2 0.823 10.3 6.5 Hog and pig farming 18.2 6.0 2.9 3.9 16.0 0.109 1.4 15.5 Animal aquaculture and other animal production 6.4 2.1 –0.9 –1.3 –14.8 0.082 1.0 –16.3 Sheep and goat farming 0.6 0.2 –0.3 –0.4 –52.8 0.026 0.3 –59.9 All livestock farms 156.8 51.4 26.5 35.5 16.9 1.513 18.9 16.1 Total 305.2 100.0 74.6 100.0 24.4 7.984 100.0 22.4 aIncludes tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, and other mixed crops.
From page 71...
... Others concerns focus on social issues, including labor justice and health, food quality and safety, animal welfare, and community well-being. Labor Concerns Hired farm workers contribute to maintaining high agricultural productivity by providing labor during critical periods of time (for example, harvest)
From page 72...
... Although farm production cost affects the price of food, it is one of many components of food price in the market place. Some households live in so-called "food deserts" that do not have ready access to grocery stores or other sources of balanced, fresh, and nutritious food products.
From page 73...
... Community Well-Being The idea that rural towns surrounded by small family farms provide the bedrock of strong democratic values and community life has been a powerful image in American culture (Wirzba, 2003)
From page 74...
... Wing and Wolf (2000) found residents in the vicinity of hog operations in eastern North Carolina reported increased occurrences of headaches, runny nose, sore throat, excessive coughing, diarrhea, and burning eyes as compared to residents of the community with no intensive livestock operations.
From page 75...
... 2006. National animal germplasm program: challenges and opportunities for poultry genetic resources.
From page 76...
... 2008. Corn-based ethanol production compromises goal of reducing nitrogen export by the Mississippi River.
From page 77...
... 2006. The Quality of Our Nation's Waters: Pesticides in the Nation's Streams and Ground Water, 1992–2001.
From page 78...
... 2009. ASAS centennial paper: farm animal welfare science in the United States.
From page 79...
... 2004. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security.
From page 80...
... Emmaus, Pa.: Rodale Press. San Joaquin Valley Drainage Program.
From page 81...
... 2008. The new gold rush: fueling ethanol production while protecting water quality.
From page 82...
... 2000. Intensive livestock operations, health, and quality of life among Eastern North Carolina residents.


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