2/17 Bellringer: Conventional Agriculture What is agriculture? What is the #1 crop produced in the U.S.? What are the positive results of large scale agriculture? What are the negative impacts of industrial agriculture.

Conventional Agriculture

The History of Agriculture Agriculture is the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans. Began over 10,000 years ago This period was called the Agricultural Revolution Prior to humans were primarily hunter-gatherers Agriculture allowed human population to grow at unprecedented rates http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/History-of-agriculture-1 Where did agriculture start?

Origins of Agriculture Farming was first used in the Middle East, in a region running from present-day Turkey to Iraq and Israel, called the Fertile Crescent. Barley and wild wheat were abundant and flood river plains were used.

Spread of Agriculture

Agricultural Revolution: Crash Course (1:05-6:45) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yocja_N5s1I

Agricultural Revolution Plants we grow and eat (domesticated) today are descended from wild plants Teosinte: ancestor of modern corn Farmers collected seeds from plants that exhibited the qualities they desired Seeds were planted and harvested again and again Do you think our crops always looked like they do now? Te-o-sin-tee Evolution of Corn Teosinte vs. Zea Mays

Sustainable Agriculture Agriculture Models Subsistence agriculture: growing food for consumption by farmer’s family Commercial (modern) agriculture: growing food for sale off the farm, heavy use of machinery, fossil fuels, and technology Modern Agriculture Large acreage Monoculture Extensive use of fertilizers Extensive use of pesticides Irrigation Subsidies to overproduce Selection of cash crops following subsidies Crop selection for animal feed Sustainable Agriculture Small acreage Crop rotation Co-planting Fallow fields Regionally-appropriate crops Locally eaten and sold

Agricultural Revolution Destruction of habitats Grasslands, forests, and wetlands were replaced with farmland Replacement of forest Soil loss Floods Water shortages In order to get more land for growing crops, many other ecosystems were destroyed

Farmland Drainage Over a period of 200 years, the lower 48 states lost an estimated 53 percent of their original wetlands.

Agribusiness Agribusiness is a term that encompasses all the businesses involved in agricultural food production, including farming, contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales. One of the largest and most diverse industries in the US. Estimated 2012 revenue = $2.4 trillion Major industry stakeholders Monsanto, Cargill, ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), etc. What do we mean by agribusiness? Mosanto, Cargill-seeds ADM-herbicides and seeds

U.S. Crop Production U.S. farmers produce roughly $100 billion worth of crops and about $100 billion worth of livestock each year. (EPA 2012) In 2010, 335 million acres of land were used for crop production. (Census 2012) USDA Land Use Survey in 2002, 442 million acres (20%) were used for crop land 587 million acres (26%) were used for grassland pasture and range land. If you combine crop and rangeland, that’s nearly ½ of the United States!

Harvested Area (million acres) U.S. Crop Production Major agricultural crops produced in the United States in 2000 (excluding root crops, citrus, vegetable, etc). Crop Harvested Area (million acres) Cash Receipts from Sales ($ billion) Corn (grain) 72.7 15.1 Soybeans 12.5 Hay 59.9 3.4 Wheat 53.0 5.5 Cotton 13.1 4.6 Sorghum (grain) 7.7 0.82 Rice 3.0 1.2 http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/cropmajor.html

Farmers in the U.S. In 1935, the number of farms in the United States was 6.8 million. In 2007, the number of farmers was down to 2.2 million. The need for human labor has also declined as evidenced by the increase in agricultural labor efficiency over the the past century. Average age of farmers is 54 years old in 1997. Average age of farmers is 57 years old in 2007. Average age of farmers is increasing.

Earl Butz and Subsidies Earl Butz was the head of the Department of Agriculture in the 1970’s. His major change was that he promoted bigger farms and encouraged “get big or get out.” He was responsible for creating direct payments to grow corn = subsidies.

Corn (Zea mays) Corn is the most heavily subsidized crop by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Corn is the major source of food in the American diet Almost everything Americans eat contains corn: high fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. One bushel of industrial corn requires ¼ to 1/3 gallons of oil for production (Pollan, Omnivore’s Dilemma) = 50 gallons of oil/acre of corn

Issues with Conventional Agriculture

Monocultures Growing a single crop or plant species over a wide area for many years. ex. lawns, corn fields, tree farms Widely used in industrial agriculture for large crop yields with little labor input. However, they can lead to quicker spread of disease or use more soil nutrients.

Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry Domesticated animals raised for product output or slaughtered for consumption. Animal products account for over half of the value of U.S. agricultural products, often exceeding $100 billion per year. (USDA 2012) Issues include overcrowding to maximize profit in large-scale operations, disease spread in monocultures, use of antibiotics, excessive waste output, and treatment.

Dairy Cows Trace amounts of hormones, blood, and pus can be found in milk from industrial processes

Poultry Farms Chickens are often “debeaked” to prevent damage and cannibalism at crowded farms

Energy Inputs vs. Outputs Kilocalories of fossil fuel input per kilocalorie of protein output Feed lot beef Pigs Broiler Chicken Free range beef Sheep Vegetables

Fish Farms Issues include over crowding (does not occur in the wild) - can cause disease, stress, and pollution, and local habitat destruction Dead or diseased fish are often ground up and fed to live fish Sea lice

Slash and Burn Agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests to create fields commonly used practice in the Amazon Typically used in subsistence farming since it needs little technology or tools

Environmental Impacts of Agriculture High use of fossil fuels and pesticides Air pollution Pressures on non-renewable resources Untreated animal wastes and agricultural chemicals Water pollution Harms fisheries Insects, weeds, and disease- causing organisms developing resistance to pesticides Contaminate food supply

Pesticide Application Abundance

Pesticides Residue on Produce Highest Lowest Apples Asparagus Bell peppers Avocados Celery Bananas Cherries Broccoli Imported grapes Cauliflower Nectarines Corn (sweet corn) Peaches Kiwi Peas Mangos Potatoes Onions Red Raspberries Papayas Spinach Pineapple Strawberries Peas (sweet) Released 10/21/2003 by EWG BRAND NEW REPORT based on results of more than 100,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by USDA and FDA between 1992 and 2001. High rankings given to: highest and average amount of pesticide found in produce ranking of severity of pesticides found by effect number of different pesticides found in individual sample and produce type Highlights that washing and peeling WILL NOT HELP. While it may help reduce pesticide residues, tests took this into account. Washing does not eliminate pesticides, and peeling may help, but reduces nutritive value. Many pesticides are taken up into produce itself, so best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, choose organic in those produce that are most “risky” and help to encourage reduction in pesticide use overall…

Environmental Impacts of Agriculture Land degradation Decreases future ability of land to support crops or livestock Habitat fragmentation Breakup of large areas of habitat into small, isolated patches Cultivating marginal lands Irrigating dry land Cultivating land prone to erosion

Genetic Engineering Manipulation of genes by taking specific gene from a cell of one species and placing it into the cell of an unrelated species Corn has been genetically modified in more than one way. Bt-corn is a type of GM corn that is genetically designed to be lethal to insects as they try to eat it. 85 percent of the soybean crops grown in the United States are genetically modified. The number one reason for the DNA modification is herbicide tolerance. Tomatoes are mainly genetically modified to make them last longer. Because tomatoes rot fairly quickly, crops might go bad before the process of harvesting, processing and shipping is finished. Papayas are genetically modified to fight a particular virus that can infect and kill crops quickly.

Solutions to Large Scale Agriculture

Your Assignment: On a separate sheet of paper: Draw (with labels) an IDEAL Sustainable Farm that doesn’t have all the problems that Conventional Farming does.

Modern Agriculture Exit Slip