Agroecosystems on the American Frontier: Material and Energy Systems and Sustainability Fridolin Krausmann Institute of Social Ecology Klagenfurt University Austria Geoff Cunfer Department of History University of Saskatchewan Canada

US immigration Cereal exports

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,

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,  Social metabolism approach  Key socio-ecological indicators

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

Village farm settlement, Theyern, Lower Austria, 2002

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

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

Theyern 3-field rotation & dispersed fields, 1829

Consolidated farms Finley Township Decatur County Kansas 1921

Rural farm settlement in Finley Township, 2004

Census Manuscripts, Kansas,  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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