1. Agroecosystems on the American Frontier: Material and Energy Systems and Sustainability Fridolin Krausmann Institute of Social Ecology Klagenfurt University Austria fridolin.krausmann@uni-klu.ac.at Geoff Cunfer Department of History University of Saskatchewan Canada geoff.cunfer@usask.ca

2. US immigration Cereal exports

3. George Thir and Elizabeth Demmer migration  from Austria-Hungary to Kansas, 1880s  Gols, Zurndorf, Ragendorf, Kaltenstein  homestead in Decatur County, 1884  built a family, a farm, and an agro-ecosystem, 1885-1940

4. Q. How did the farm system that the Thirs left behind compare with that which they found (and created) on the Great Plains frontier?  Comparative case studies:  Theyern, Austria, 1829  Finley Township, Decatur County, Kansas, 1885-1940  Social metabolism approach  Key socio-ecological indicators

5. Metabolic relationships in agricultural production systems Agroecosystem Woodland Grassland Cropland Local socio-ecological system Production Livestock Farmsteads and infrastrcture Machines and tools Population Human population with certain characteristics: Age structure Fertility Mortality … Work / migrationImport / export Material / energy Work Draft power Manure Food Biomass Energy

6. Village farm settlement, Theyern, Lower Austria, 2002

7. Franciscean Cadastre, Theyern, Austria, 1829  land use & land cover map  land ownership  textual description of farm system and productivity  quantitative data  yields  livestock  demography  taxes

8. Theyern land use, 1829 Area: 225 ha Population: 102 Farms: 17

9. Theyern 3-field rotation & dispersed fields, 1829

10. Consolidated farms Finley Township Decatur County Kansas 1921

11. Rural farm settlement in Finley Township, 2004

12. Census Manuscripts, Kansas, 1885-1940  9 snapshots of farm and family  Land use  crop acreage & production  livestock  fencing, irrigation, tractors  Demography  name, age, sex, literacy  birthplace, parents’ birthplace, mother tongue  Nested scales  farm  township  county

13. Key socio-ecological indicators  People and Space  population density  land availability  Farm Productivity  grain yield  area productivity  labor productivity  marketable crop production  Livestock and Nutrient Management  livestock density  nitrogen return

14. Theyern: land was scarce, but labor was abundant. Finley Township: labor was scarce and land was abundant People and Space: Population Density

15. Theyern: shortage of arable land Finley Township: shortage of labor to work the land People and Space: Land Availability

16. Theyern: considerable yields, rising through 19th century Finley Township: very high yields, falling sharply Farm Productivity: Grain Yield

17. Similar area productivity in Theyern and Finley Township. Large fluctuations in Kansas due to variable rainfall. Farm Productivity: Area Productivity

18. Theyern: 1 laborer fed 2.5 people Finley Township: 1 laborer fed 100 people (1930) Farm Productivity: Labor Productivity

19. Finley Township’s excess production was exported to urban, industrializing parts of the eastern US, UK, & western Europe. Farm Productivity: Marketable Crop Production

20. Theyern: multi-use animals—food, waste recycling, power, manure Finley: specialized animals—power (horses), grazing (cattle) Livestock & Nutrient Management: Livestock Density

21. Theyern: near 100% N return, using livestock manure Finley Township: 20-40% N return: soil mining Livestock & Nutrient Management: Nitrogen Return

22. Austria Kansas Long term trends in grain yield: Austria and Kansas, 1830-1940 Austria: Yield increases: optimization of low input farming Kansas: Declining yields: stock depletion; large fluctuations

23. Conclusions  Resource efficiencies  Theyern: labor abundance for long-term subsistence (risk minimization)  Finley Township: fertile land abundance for market production (improved standards of living)  Both efficient in own way  19 th century trajectories  Theyern: increasing yields  Finley Township: declining yields (soil crisis by 1930s)  20 th century convergence: replacing soil with oil  fossil fuels solved soil crisis in Kansas  yields skyrocketed in both places by 2000