Learn More About Lloyd Kahn, Shelter Editor of Whole Earth Catalog

The following is one of the most delightful videos I've seen in a while, in part because of my love for architecture and design with a permaculture twist. (Thank you to Fair Companies, which posted this a few days ago here: Whole Earth Catalog revisited: Steve Job’s Google of the 60s)Whole Earth Catalog covered all worldly and practical topics, categorized as Land Use and Shelter, Industry, Craft

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review November 4, 2011

~November 4, 2011~The grain markets were volatile this week closing mixed. Declines in the outside markets helped force grains lower as the stock market suffered sharp losses and crude oil in negative territory triggered the weakness earlier in the week, along with sharp gains in the U.S. dollar. However, outside markets recovered late in the week bringing grains back into positive territory.

Latest Global Stocks-to-Use Ratios for Rice, Wheat, Cereal and Coarse Grain

Under my Food Security Tab (above) I keep this ongoing global stocks-to-use ratio chart. I have just updated it with the latest FAO figures. The world is successfully ramping up food production. Coarse grains includes corn, and we all know where that disappearance is coming from.——K.M.Global stocks-to-use ratios2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11estim.2011/12f'cast World Cereal 19.8 19.3

U.S. Map Showing Increased Acres of Crop Production From 2006 to 2008

Farms increased total harvested acreage by expanding cropland or increasing double cropping between 2006 and 2008 especially for the ethanol production ramp-up:Note: Counties in blue increased the sum total of harvested acreage for major crops either by bringing additional land into crop production or by expanding double cropping. Counties in gray had approximately the same harvested acreage.

SNAP Program: $68 Billion in 2010

Federal spending for USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) reached $68.2 billion in fiscal year 2010, and an average of 40.3 million people per month participated, the largest number of participants ever.ERS has added 2008 participation counts and 2009 benefit amounts to its historical State and county-level data file and interactive maps, allowing analysis of program growth

On the Growing Global Grain Supplies and Our Secretary of Agriculture's Plan

This morning I updated the charts under the tabs across the top of this blog for "wheat", "corn", "rice", and "soybeans" five-year futures.Guess what? Every single one of these commodities has gone in price down since I did the last update mid-July. And that was a pretty significant time period, since it marks the end of the growing season in the world's number one Ag-exporting North American

Industrial Agriculture's Seed Companies Family Tree Graphic

Biotech Seed IllustrationThe above graphic shows that the seed suppliers for industrial Ag all stem from under the umbrella of a few large companies: Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Limagrain, Land O'Lakes, KWS, Bayer, Dow, BASF. (with some connection even amongst these)sourceh/t rjs

1941 Ansel Adams Photo of Corn in Arizona on an Indian Farm

Looking across rows of corn, cliff in background, "Corn Field, Indian Farm near Tuba City, Arizona, in Rain, 1941."by Adams, Ansel, 1902-1984Photo: U.S. National Archives

Metro and Nonmetro Poverty Rates According to Education Level 2005 to 20009

Workers with higher levels of educational attainment fared much better in the labor market. During 2010, the unemployment rate in nonmetro counties was 14.3 percent for adults with less than a high school diploma, 8.8 percent for adults with a high school diploma or equivalent, 6.9 percent for adults with some college or an associate’s degree, and 3.7 percent for adults with a bachelor’s degree

Ted Turner, Second Largest Land Owner in North America

The second largest land owner in North America, Ted Turner, was in Boulder a few days ago urging the city to graze some of his bison on open space lands which would be part of the impression gained by driving "over the proverbial (gasp) hill" into Boulder.The twenty bison would be a gift to Boulder from Turner, who has gifted CU with its last couple of "Ralphies" (CU bison mascot). He has a Ted's

Tillage systems Used for Corn in the U.S. Between 1996-2005

Tillage systems in U.S. corn, 1996-2005No-till and mulch till are conservation tillage practices that leave at least 30 percent of the soil covered by crop residues after planting, while reduced-till leaves 15-30 percent and conventional tillage leaves less than 15 percent of the soil covered. Reducing soil erosion and mitigating the impact of higher energy prices are both motivations for

Sustaining 7 Billion: A report on the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Agronomy, Crop Science, and Soil Science Societies.

Sustaining 7 Billion: A report on the 2011 Annual Meetingof the Agronomy, Crop Science, and Soil Science Societies.by James GieseSometime, approximately this week, the world population will reach 7 billion, according to U.N. Population Fund report. [pdf]With this milestone and the expectation that world population could double by 2100, more than 4,100 agronomists, crop scientists, and soil

Agriculture News October 31, 2011

Fuelish Choices - The Brazilian biofuels industry faces a deep political divide. You might call it “the big guy versus the little guy.” For many activists in Brazil, biofuel is a tool for expanding “agribusiness”—an epithet they apply with disdain and distrust. In fact, union members and environmental activists we met with referred to sugarcane ethanol as “agri-fuel” rather than “biofuel.” The

USDA Reports Food at Home Prices Have Risen 6.3% During the Past Year with Eggs, Dairy, Beef and Oils Up Over 10%

The following graph is from a new USDA Report of the Food CPI and Expenditures. I have circled all categories that have risen by more than 5%.You will note that 2009 prices were overall neutral since grocery stores have been trying absorb some of the cost increases for the ailing consumer. One could conclude that our ethanol policy in addition to higher fuel costs are underlying causes of the

A Commercial Mushroom Grower in Colorado

Hazel Dell Organic Mushroom Farm ~ Fort Collins, ColoradoOwner Jim Hammond started growing mushrooms in Santa Cruz, California in 1980, and also grew mushrooms commercially near Watsonville, California at Moss Landing. But since 1991, he and his wife have run Hazel Dell Mushrooms near Fort Collins, Colorado, providing the region's Farmers Markets, Whole Foods stores, and Boulder's eat-local

How Many People Can Live on Earth? (Attenborough Video)

In a Horizon special, naturalist Sir David Attenborough discusses issues related to having 7 billion people on the planet. Note that video #2 relates mostly to agriculture.

Dutch Design Firm Designs 4,000 Acre Park that Will also be a Fully Functioning Farm

h/t City Farmer News. More here.

Cartoon: But is it Gluten Free?

Tundra by Chad Carpenter

Soil: Exporting our Nutrients versus Biointensive Agriculture

It is not often that I request to cross-post another article here on this site, but today I am doing so (and Nourishing the Planet graciously gave me permission) because I think that this article really deserves to be read more widely. Note that emphasis in red is mine and the subject Jake Blem speaks about is the reason I become so upset about our U.S. corn ethanol program and worse, the

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review October 28, 2011

~October 28, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybeans traded higher. Early in the week mixed signals in the outside markets had grain struggling for position and gaining any momentum. However, On Thursday the stock market was up sharply spilling over into the grains. News of European bailout package and a sharply lower U.S. dollar led grain futures into double digit territory. The higher

Electricity Use Continues to Rise

Total energy consumption is falling in developed nations, but not so for the electricity sector as you can see in the above graph.From 2000 to 2009, increases in electricity demand averaged 0.5% per year. Demand growth is projected to continue at about 1% per year through 2035. Pie Graph of Electricity Generation by Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, and Other (2010):Coal is the largest source of

Ten Miniature Cattle Breeds for your Small Farm

"Mini-Cows"Miniature cattle are the perfect size livestock for smaller farms and acreages, they are much easier and safer to handle than standard sized cattle, and they are ideal as organic or grass-fed beef.Butchering one animal provides the right amount of meat for a small family and has more choice-cuts. One "mini-cow" will feed a family of four for six months. Mini-milk cows are perfect for

1984 Photo of Dairy Cows in Vermont

Dairy cows graze in lush pasture in central Vermont. 1984. (usda photo)

A Food Security Presentation by Julian Cribb

In my Monday news recently, I included a link to a 36-minute talk given at the headquarters of deCODE in Reykjavík, Iceland by Australian Julian Cribb, complete with great slides.For anyone interested in getting up to speed on the subject of global food security it is well worth your time:The Coming Famine: risks and opportunities for global food security (Julian Cribb FTSE Iceland October 2011)

Global Top Five Pistachio Producers

Since 1977, U.S. pistachio production has increased rapidly, starting at 1.8 million pounds (shelled basis) to 250.1 million pounds in 2010—a record breaking harvest. The rapid growth in U.S. pistachio production has made it the second largest producer in the world, after Iran. From 2005 to 2009, Iran provided 42 percent of the world total and the United States provided 24 percent. Previously the

Dry Edible Bean Production Has Dropped Sharply

Driven by sharply lower planted area, the U.S. dry edible bean crop is forecast at 20.5 million hundredweight (cwt) this fall, down 36 percent from a year earlier.With the exception of Washington, output is expected to decline from year-earlier levels for each of the 18 surveyed States. The five largest producing States—North Dakota, Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Idaho—are collectively

Map of Regional Variation in the Outlook for 2011 Farm Business Income

Price strength for grains and oilseeds will result in much higher average net cash incomes for farm businesses in the Heartland (28.2 percent above 2010). Improved cattle and wheat incomes are contributing to the Prairie Gateway region's projected 25 percent increase in average net cash income. Producers in the Northern Crescent region are expected to benefit from higher dairy and grain earnings

U.S. Ending Stocks of Corn, Sorghum, Barley, and Oats 1995 to 2011

source usda

Agriculture News October 24, 2011

Farmers Sense the End of Big Boom - Record Crop Prices Have Driven Up Incomes, but Rising Costs and Cooling Demand Are Starting to Take a Bigger Bite [WSJ]7 Billion: Understanding the Demographic Transition - by Sharon Astyk [Casaubon's Book]Seven Billion by Joel Cohen [NYTs]How Do You Get to 7 Billion People? (Includes good graphic) [WSJ]Growing an acre of corn, soybeans or wheat in 2012 will

Study Examines if Atrazine found throughout Nebraska's Waterways is Causing Endocrine Disruption in Fish

River research spawns revelationsby Elizabeth KumruFish in the Elkhorn River are confused about their sex. Females are becoming defeminized and males are becoming more female. What is it about this Nebraska river that’s causing the fish to undergo a sex change every spring and summer? That’s what Alan Kolok, Ph.D., wants to know.A physiological ecologist and aquatic toxicologist, his research is

Boulder's Own Organic Farmer Indie-Folk Singer Gregory Alan Isakov

Finally, I got to see Boulder's own indie-folk musician song-writer, singer, guitarist, and organic farmer Gregory Alan Isakov in concert last night.Isakkov came to Boulder in 1999 to study horticulture at Naropa (our Buddhist University) and has worked in the area as an organic farmer but his extra-ordinary musical talent has led him to full time performing as he now tours the world with his

Latest Commercial: Yeo Valley Does It Again

You may know or not that Yeo Valley produces the greatest farming commercials around and they become extremely popular in the UK. This one's their latest and its pretty awesome, I'd say. ♬ There's no harm in our pure and natural farming. We are as one with the countryside ♬

Australia, New Zealand, U.S. and the E.U. Are Producing Fewer Sheep

Though global sheep numbers have remained fairly stable since 1960, with inventories remaining close to 1.1 billion throughout the period, sheep numbers in some of the major sheep-consuming and export-oriented producing countries declined steadily. Australia and New Zealand, the largest exporters of lamb and mutton globally, have seen drastic declines, with inventories falling by 17 and 18

The Riskiest Farms Financially are the Largest Farms, Livestock Farms, and Young Farms

Above: When we discuss whether we can weather a storm, who are we talking about? Are we talking about the 389 farms that produce 10 percent of what we have? Are we talking about the 34,000 farms that produce half, or the other 2 million farms that produce the other half? As we look at the risk management ability and risk management tools, the strategies are different in each one of these

A Few Days Worth of Tweets

Follow me here on twitter. Trivia: Nebraska farm boy Evan Williams who founded twitter and blogger once helped his girlfriend housesit for us.——K.M.(Some of these will and some will not be included in Monday's upcoming news.)China's corn crop up 5.6% over last year, yields average in the mid-80-bushel per

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review October 21, 2011

~October 21, 2011~Compared to last week, grain bids were higher with soybeans trading lower. The stock and energy markets were volatile this week pressuring the grains, along with the higher dollar adding additional burden. However, the stock and energy markets did rebound helping to strengthen grain prices as wheat and corn closed with modest gains and soybeans slight to moderately lower. Corn

Delinquency Rates on Agricultural Loans are the Lowest of All Loan Types

Above: Given the wide range of commercial banks lending to agriculture, some banking institutions are quite vulnerable to a downturn in the agricultural economy.Losses in consumer, real estate, construction, and development loans have weakened the financial positions of a number of rural and urban banks.However, delinquency rates on agricultural loans at commercial banks are the lowest across

Ukraine's Corn Yield and Production to Set Records this Year

Ukraine’s corn production for 2011/12 is increased 3.0 million tons this month to a record 21.0 million. With harvest more than a third complete, record yields appear to be a foregone conclusion as the early-harvested areas tend to be lower yielding than the late-harvested areas. The growing season was quite favorable, with some dryness at planting, followed by good rains during the growth cycle,

Old Farm Photo: Stacking Hay in New South Wales

Harvest time on the property of R.F. and A.E. Pulver - (undated)"Rose Grove", Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, AU.Thursday is Luddite photo day here at b.p.a.

Everybody Wants Their Product in the Produce Section of the Grocery Store

This is a good discussion:...because shoppers think its fresher and healthier there.

Stewart Brand is Da Man

Perhaps I'm a little late to the Stewart Brand book party, but I am finishing his book, Whole Earth Discipline (2009), and have really, really enjoyed reading it. Here is an environmentalist who became famous with his Whole Earth Catalogue (1968-1985), and was also a man who greatly influenced Steve Jobs. We know this because Jobs said so in his most popular Stanford commencement address (

Food at Home Price Index has increased 6.3% and the Dairy Index is up 10.2% in the Past Year

Today, the report is out from the BLS with the Consumer Price Index for September, 2011. If one wanted to generalize, energy inflation over the past twelve months is very alarming, food inflation over the past twelve months is becoming quite alarming, and for the most part essential categories are rising while nonessentials are not.——K.M.The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)

2010 Census: Map of Rural High-Minority Counties

Despite relatively low population shares in nonmetro areas nationally (compared with metro areas), specific racial and ethnic groups are concentrated in some rural regions. In 2010, the African American share of population exceeded 20 percent in 290 nonmetro counties, almost all located in the Southeast. The Southwest and West contained the vast majority of the 211 nonmetro counties with 20

California's Fall Vegetable Harvest Looks Good

Higher production expected over 2010 harvestBroccoli: Up 8%.Cantaloupes: Up 4%. Nationally up 11%.Carrots: Up 30% above 2010. Nationally, up 30%. Cauliflower: Up 3%.Celery: Up 4%.Sweet Corn: Up 5%. Nationally, up 12%. Lower production expectedCalifornia's fall harvest of storage onion, head lettuce, honeydew and tomato numbers are expected to be less this year than in 2010 based upon planted

My Critique of "Feeding the World While Protecting the Planet" by Jon Foley's Team - University of Minnesota

If you somehow missed it, Scientific American magazine has a must-read five page article by environmental studies Professor Jon Foley (Univ. of Minnesota) for anyone interested in the subject of global food security, "Can We Feed the World & Sustain the Planet? A five-step global plan could double food production by 2050 while greatly reducing environmental damage." This is an excellent read

Agriculture News October 17, 2011

Please help our house celebrate today as our architecture-degreed college graduate son begins a new job, pursuing a new direction which he is passionate about. His new field of micro brewing is just a little related to agriculture. This past summer our kitchen has been filled with buckets, copper tubing, foraged hops drying, and many beer bottles as he has been concocting and experimenting with

CNBC: Rabobank Predicts Poultry Demand Will Increase 30% Over the Next Decade

. . . and 75% of that growth will occur in the BRIC and other developing nations.

Lady Gaga and a Farming Theme... Again!

We've had the meat dress, the Nebraska barn and cornfield video filming, and now, this.

Garden Wrap-Up Notes ~ Plus Two Bonus Recipes

We are expecting our first freeze three days from now, so I harvested all of the peppers and tomatillos from our garden today, along with some chard, onions, and small tomatoes for the day's pasta. We have far more jalapeno peppers than we need, so this year I will dry most of them and grind them into a powder for use in cooking. (see recipe below)Picked today: This large basket is filled with

Occupy Boulder ~ Occupy Wall Street Cartoons

To follow are a few comics about the Occupy Wall Street Protests. We had a rather nice one here in Boulder today with around 500 participants. My son and I partook in the march down Pearl Street for a while just because we happened to be there anyway. My son is a recent architecture degreed graduate who's come back home to live while trying to find a new direction, by the way. He has many sad

Russia Lacks Tractors, Combines, and Other Modern Farm Equipment, Holding Back Production

photo: flickr via Safariman ~ creative commonsAccording to this Bloomberg article...Russia’s Machines Cost 20 Million Tons of GrainRussia has modern agricultural equipment deficiencies including combines, milk and meat production equipment that are causing them to lose 1 million tons of meat, 7 million tons of milk, and 15 million to 20 million metric tons of grain that cannot be harvested,

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review October 14, 2011

~October 14, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were higher with the most gains posted on beans. The markets opened the week finding support from the sharp break in the US dollar, strength in metals, energy, and higher commodity markets. Prior to the USDA’s Supply and Demand Report and crop production the grains saw sharp gains with corn closing limit up on heavy fund buying;

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Clearly Explains Why Speculation Didn't Drive Oil Prices in 2008

And that applies similarly to food....This past week there have been a couple of news items announcing that a large petition by "450 economists" wants to limit global food commodity speculation which is causing high food prices for the world's poor food consumer. Since I just posted, Round Two. Does Speculation Cause High Food Prices? on this blog ten days ago, I wanted to follow-up by connecting

Yesterday's Hike: Boulder's Bear Peak

After listening to my husband say for more than two years, "I want to climb Bear Peak," we finally did it yesterday. This time of the year one doesn't need to worry about the daily afternoon thunderstorms that roll through here in the summer and the temperature is just right to elevate yourself 2,400 feet by foot to 8,461 feet, giving us a spectacular eagle's eye view of Boulder and 360 degrees

More on Migrant Workers and Future Migrations

I was thrilled to have Yves Smith at Naked Capitalism use my post, "Migrant Farm Workers in the PIGS, America, and Elsewhere: Noting a Balance Sheet Correlation" as her lede news link on Thursday. Unfortunately, I thought the post might have the potential to generate many comments for a variety of reasons but so far has generated none. Imagine well over 1,000 page views by a quality reader base

1992 Photo of Sheep Grazing in Utah

Sheep graze on pastureland in Heber Valley, Utah. 1992.source: usda

Migrant Farm Workers in the PIGS, America, and Elsewhere: Noting a Balance Sheet Correlation

photo source: flickr by ah zut ~ "la cueillette des fraises"strawberry picking in Sonoma done mostly by Hmong farmers.This past week the NYTs article, "Hiring Locally for Farm Work Is No Cure-All" described how a Colorado onion and sweet corn farmer couldn't find enough local help to work in his fields. There are well over 400 reader comments under the article. The NYTs followed up the story

FAO: World Food Costs Declined from 1961 to 2002

K.M.: Industrialized agriculture production methods, along with increased efficiencies in transport, distribution, and storage, has led to lower world wide food prices while requiring much less labor to produce crops. While idealists trump the "cheap food policy," the fact is that few in the developed world will work as farm laborers and here in America, we complain if any food price category

Agriculture News October 10, 2011

How can there be a labor shortage when nearly one out of every 11 people in the nation are unemployed? That’s the question John Harold asked himself last winter when he was trying to figure out how much help he would need to harvest the corn and onions on his 1,000-acre farm here in western Colorado... (NYTs)Room for Debate did a follow-up on the above article, titled "What happened to the

Permaculture in Western Massachusetts at Amherst

Note that the above video shows how they prepared their new food growing garden bed.Link: UMass Permaculture Amhersth/t treehugger

Bucket Irrigation: The Easiest Way to Water Newly Planted Small Trees

A great time-saver for irrigating newly planted trees is to use a recycled 5-gallon plastic bucket. These are often discarded at construction sites. You first need to drill one or two 1/32 inch or smaller holes towards one side of the bottom of the bucket. Set it next to your small tree and fill with water every one to two weeks. You may move it to the opposite side of the tree each time you

NPR Planet Money Reports $9,494 per Acre for Iowa Farmland Plus More Sky High Sales Prices For You

Here's an NPR story reporting on an Iowa farmland sale of 158 acres of corn field selling for $1.5 million, which, according to my calculator equals 9,494 dollars per acre ... (story here)Here are some other recent Iowa farmland sales prices:Linn County, IA - (October) - 46 acres sold for $404,800 ($8,800/A)Story County, IA - (September) - 158 acres sold for $1,564,200 ($9,900/A)Cerro Gordo

Between 2000 and 2010, Iowa's age 25-44 Demographic Declined Eight Percent Overall and Twenty Percent in Rural Areas

The above graph and this report by Dave Swenson, out of Iowa State, describes Iowa's depressing rural demographic trends. ——K.M.Key points:Two-thirds of Iowa’s counties lost population between 2000 and 2010. The national population of adults ages 25 to 44 actually declined slightly over the last decade. The state of Iowa saw this population decline by 8 percent. In "rural" areas, however, this

More U.S. Soybeans go towards Biodiesel, Less for Food

Domestic use of soybean oil for 2011/12 is forecast to rise to 17.75 billion pounds from 16.6 billion this year. Nearly all of next year’s gain is projected for the production of biodiesel, which has been accelerating quickly over the last few months. USDA forecasts that soybean oil used for methyl esters (biodiesel) will expand to 3.6 billion pounds in 2011/12 from 2.4 billion this season.Likely

Timing and Longer Time Frame are Key to Investing in Farming

Using Morgan Stanley's failed venture into farm investing in the Ukraine and selling its distressed investment at the wrong time, Bloomberg's Alan Katz has a good video here with some good farming scenes in the Ukraine. (This region is improving farming infrastructure and buying equipment rapidly, but it takes time and does not happen overnight.) Haven't those with dirt under their fingernails

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review October 7, 2011

~October 7, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were sharply lower. The grain markets suffered early in the week on continued concerns over the financial markets as the Dow was down with sharp losses along with crude oil and the dollar higher. However, outside markets recovered later in the week limiting the losses. Harvest is in full swing across the corn-belt as the weather has

1952 Photo of Flood on Iowa Farm

Floodwaters overtake this farm near Council Bluffs, Iowa - source: usda

A Few Notes of Interest from the 2011 Prairie Festival at the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas

The artist talk this year was by Lisa Grossman and it did not disappoint, as she so eloquently described to us her zen like approach to plein air painting of the Kansas prairie and sky landscapes and likened the process to haiku. Originally from Pennsylvania, she now lives in Lawrence, Kansas. [more of her art here]____________________For those who are not aware of the fact, the Land Institute is

Slow Money October Gathering Offers Ways to Invest in Slow Food

Note that the following is a guest post by writer Julene Bair about the upcoming Slow Money national gathering in SanFrancisco.——K.M.Food security, whether it’s on the personal or international level, is too important to be taken for granted. This is true especially now, when food systems are threatened by chemical pollution, the loss of topsoil, and the limits of aquifers and oil. The Slow Food

Coal Production in the Top Five Producing Nations Grew by 98% from 2000-2010

One of the reasons I don't beat the drum daily about climate change is that I think it is a behemoth that has a life of its own. I suspect eventually that man will try to mitigate its effects, because I don't think coal burning or human addiction to fossil fuels can be curtailed because of our short sighted selfishness. Shoot me, someone, for saying that but I think I'm a realist. Look at this,

The Number of Hog Producers in the U.S. Declined Sixty Percent in the Decade Ending in 2009

Large operations produced an increasing share of outputbetween 1998 and 2009Between 1998 and 2009, the total number of hog operations fell by about 60 percent, and the average inventory grew from 2,589 to 7,930 head. Over this period, the number of hog operations producing fewer than 300 animal units declined rapidly, resulting in a shift in production to larger operation. In 2009, over half of

Round Two. Does Speculation Cause High Food Prices?

They've been pouring across my desk lately, the seemingly credible main stream news and high level PDF studies proclaiming that the global food commodity prices are being driven by speculation.Since my March 2011 post, Are Speculators to Blame for High Food Commodity Prices? No, and this Explains Why, has anything changed? Where is all of this media momentum coming from of late?Blaming

Agriculture News October 3, 2011

Corn slumped 23 percent in September, the biggest monthly slide in records going back to 1959. [Bloomberg]Analysis: Corn export dominance to bend, not break - "After supplying four out of every five kernels of corn traded internationally in the mid-1990s, U.S. market share was projected to shrink to 45 percent this season, with U.S. dominance particularly hard hit in the past 10 years." [

Trailer: Le Quattro Volte

An old goatherd takes his flock to feed in the high pastures of Calabria then milks them at his stalls at a spectacular hilltop village, where the rhythm and ritual of life appears unchanged in centuries. His cure-all for his failing health is the blessed ash from ceremonies at the local church. He dies, and at his death a newborn goat takes its first breath. It suits the off-beat and curiously

Watch these French Cows Enjoy Jazz Music

The New Hot 5, American-based jazz band plays for a herd of cows in Autrans, France. . (h/t rjs)

When Will We Admit that our Corn Ethanol Policy is Immoral?

Twenty-eight states have ethanol facilities which are producing 14.2 billion gallons of corn ethanol per year. Iowa produces 25% of the nation's ethanol, and Nebraska comes in second, producing 14% or 1.96 billion gallons.Sources: Renewable Fuels Association, Washington, DC.Nebraska Energy Office, Lincoln, NE.Data updated September 26, 2011Having just returned from a trip to Eastern Nebraska, I

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review September 30, 2011

~September 30, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were lower with wheat trading higher. Wheat found support from dryness in the U.S. HRW wheat areas and production concerns in the spring wheat region, along with lack of farmer selling. The weekly Winter Wheat Planting report showed 26 percent of the crop planted as compared to 14 percent last week and 32 percent last year. Corn

The U.S. Corn Crop Accounts for 65% of Nitrogen Use by Farmers

About 69 percent of U.S. cropland planted with major field crops (barley, corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, sorghum, soybeans, and wheat), or 167 million acres, receives commercial and/or manure nitrogen. Corn accounts for 45 percent of U.S. crop acreage receiving manure and 65 percent of the 8.7 million tons of nitrogen applied by farmers each year. Using data from USDA’s Agricultural Resources

1999 Photo of Iowa Dairy Farm

Dairy farm in northeast Iowa.source: usda

A Breakdown of Food Insecurity in the U.S.

In 2010, 6.4 million U.S. households—5.4 percent of households—had very low food security at some time during the year. In these households, the food intake of one or more members was reduced and eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money or other resources for food.In 2009, 5.7 percent of U.S. households had very low food security.Some household

Food as a Percent of Total Household Budget by Country

The world’s poor faced the greatest burden from higher food prices. In developing nations, like those in the Middle East, more than 40 percent of average household budgets go toward food purchases. Even in the emerging BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, between a quarter and a third of household income is spent on food. In more affluent nations, like the United States, the average

Science Canada's "The Innovators" of Agriculture

"What the farmers needed was a hero. That hero was science."This film was put together by www.agr.gc.ca and Science Canada to celebrate the fact that the first five research farms were established in Canada 125 years ago. Now there are 19 research farms there.(Excuse the melodrama.)

Agriculture News September 26, 2011

Greetings from Nebraska, after getting my much-needed battery recharge at the Prairie Festival in Salina, Kansas this past weekend. What an event to enable one to dream of a truly sustainable system of food production and share the vision of true visionaries. You may not believe all of the problems this world faces could be solved in a day and a half of speakers, but looking back, I do believe

One Example of a Vermont Farm Destroyed by Hurricane Irene's Flooding

Many farmers in the Eastern U.S. were hurt by Hurricane Irene's flooding. Lately we're being told there is a pumpkin shortage because of it. In the above video, the farmers of Evening Song Farm in Cuttingsville, Vermont, describe the damage when Mill River flooded and washed away their vegetable fields. This is just one example of the many farms that were destroyed in the storm.

Dave Matthews and Neil Young Singing at the 2011 Farm Aid Concert

These took place in Kansas City in August of 2011 at the 26th Farm Aid Concert. For more Farm Aid concert videos from years past, go to their youtube site.

The 2011 Farm Aid Letter to AG Eric Holder and Sec. Vilsack

Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, John MellencampFarm Aid has now raised $39 million, in 25 plus years, towards promoting agricultural policies which help the small family farm in America.To visit the Farm Aid website to sign the "take action" form and to see much other good information, click here.

A Poison-Free Homemade Mouse Trap for Your Farm

Or, you could just keep cats around the place.

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review September 23, 2011

~September 23, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were under pressure closing sharply lower with most losses noted on Thursday. The higher U.S. dollar, steep declines in the stock market, a collapse in energy and metals triggered the grains into negative territory. Rain in the Southern Plains also led to the declines in wheat, while corn saw slow export demand. Harvest was slow

Nebraska Farmland Prices 2006-2011

Nebraska farmland values climbed higher with strong farm incomes and a limited number of farms for sale during the growing season. Compared to the second quarter of last year, Nebraska cropland values soared 30 percent higher and ranchland values jumped 17 percent.source: The Nebraska Economist [pdf]

1989 Idaho Concrete Ditch Irrigation Photo

Irrigation field ditchsource: usda

Income For the Average American Farm Comes from Off-Farm Sources

Most farm households earn the majority of their income from off-farm sources and off-farm income is expected to increase by 3.0 percent in 2011, to 51,889. Note that off-farm sources include wages and salaries from off-farm jobs, other businesses, dividends and interest, and other public and private sources.In contrast to the general farm household population, households associated with

Recommended: A Great Read About the State of Farming in Canada

It takes quite a bit to excite me these days about a pundit's writing on Ag (I was fairly bored with The Nation's current "food issue" same ol' same ol') and just then along comes one of the best writings I've ever read from a lesser know source. I don't often make a post just telling you to read a certain article, but this one out of Canada's Walrus Magazine by Chris Turner cannot be missed and

2011 Ratio of Stocks-to-Use for Total World Grains and Oilseeds Near Record Low

The ratio of global ending stocks to total use can be a reliable indicator of market prices (the lower the ratio, the tighter the market and the higher the price.) Currently, the stocks-to-use ratios for corn and soybeans are near record lows. The stocks-to-use ratios for wheat and rice suggest reasonably comfortable stock levels, but the shortage of milling-quality wheat has put strong upward

Agriculture News September 19, 2011

This past weekend of beautiful fall weather here in Boulder was spent cooking with some of the garden's produce by making a great vegetarian pizza (using cherry and pear tomatoes, green pepper, basil, chives, and onions), making a 100-year old Nebraska apple crisp recipe using our neighbor's apples, and I sorted through some old paper in an attempt to "clean" my office (a constant battle

India's Agricultural Sector

India has a large and diverse agricultural sector, accounting, on average, for about 16 percent of GDP and 10 percent of export earnings. Its arable land area of 159.7 million hectares (394.6 million acres) is the second largest in the world (after the United States), and its gross irrigated crop area of 82.6 million hectares (215.6 million acres) is the largest in the world. India is among the

Documentary Film Trailer: Farmageddon

Farmageddon: the Unseen War on American Family FarmsI'll let the reader decide. The Boston Globe calls it pretty one-sided.

Perennial Plate's Daniel Klein Visits a Big Sky Country Ranch

The Perennial Plate Episode 70: The Cows and The Horses: Almost halfway through our six-month, food-focused journey across America, we found a place we didn't want to leave: the stunning J Bar L Ranch, situated on 30,000 acres in southwest Montana in one of the most important wildlife corridors in the country....

TED Talk: Richard Resnick on Genomic Advancement

Genome work is coming at us rapidly and it won't be stopped.In this accessible talk from TEDxBoston, Richard Resnick shows how cheap and fast genome sequencing is about to turn health care (and insurance, and politics) upside down.At 7:00-7:30 minutes Richard Resnick shifts from talking about curing human disease to plant genomics and feeding the world, saying that it will only be possible by

The September 2011 Rice Outlook

A recurring grain commodity theme that we see here in the U.S. this season continues with rice:The U.S. export forecast was reduced 100,000 tons this month to 3.05 million tons based on smaller domestic long-grain supplies and reduced global competitiveness of the United States based on higher domestic prices. This reduction was partially offset by a 50,000-ton increase in Brazil’s export

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for September 16, 2011

~September 16, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were lower. The USDA report released Monday morning set the tone for the markets with wheat and soybeans lower and corn higher. Bad news later in the week pressured the grain into double digit losses as wheat saw declines on slow exports, talk of growing supplies around the world, and rain in the forecast for the HRW wheat region.

In My Backyard: Longmont, Colorado Turkey Processing Plant is Closing Citing Ethanol Subsidies and High Fuel Costs

Rod Brenneman, president and chief executive officer of Butterball, is blaming ethanol and high fuel costs in its decision to close the Longmont, Colorado plant which employs 350 people and has been in operation as a turkey processing plant since 1950. It is one of six Butterball plants in the U.S."... government ethanol subsidies and record-high fuel prices for much of 2010 and 2011 contributed

1994 Ranching Photo: Salinity in Utah Basin

In the Colorado River Basin, salinity issues are a challenge for landowners and resource professionals. 1994. [source: usda]

Biomass is Being Used to Offset Greenhouse Emissions from Ethanol Plants and from Coal Electrical Generation

Note that in this post, I've included two graphics from the Shell report, "Shell Energy Scenarios to 2050." [Source: pdf] Most future energy growth will come from non-OECD nations, and the OECD nations are expected to experience a decrease in energy demand. Not unexpectedly, cheap coal will continue to be used and its use will increase. The trend to use biomass for offsetting carbon emissions

The 2011 Solar Decathlon: Three Entrants Which Included Food Growing in their Models

Each year, as a blogger, I've enjoyed covering the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon which takes place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. In this post, I've picked three of the college student's models which each incorporated gardens into their plans. At the end is a link to view all of the contest model videos, if you wish, including entries from China, New Zealand, and Canada,

"The Sun" Interviews Stewart Brand

I was absolutely delighted to read this lengthy interview of Stewart Brand in my September 2011 subscription issue of "The Sun". Brand was a forefather to the environmental movement of the 60's and 70's. He knows his subjects, is a realist, and is not afraid of taking a stance. He has plenty to say about agriculture and favors scientific use of GMO's citing important advancements which have been

What the Average American Eats in a Year

Graphic via Sarah Kliff. Full size here. h/t FTAlphaville

A Personal Life Milestone...

Today my husband and I celebrate our 25th anniversary.What greater gift can spouses give each other than the freedom to choose how to live? The great mythologist, Joseph Campbell, who taught at the women's college Sarah Lawrence for 38 years, once said that when he went to reunions he could easily see which of his students had married husbands who allowed them to become who they wanted to be and

Agriculture News September 12, 2011

Please note that under each week's "Boulder Local" section at the bottom you may find some of the more interesting food coverage around, in my opinion.---KMToday's WASDE report: Gov't estimates smaller corn surplus, could drive food prices higher in 2012 (AP) (Corn production down, wheat up, rice up, soybeans up from last month.)Argentine Corn ‘Terrifyingly’ Cheap Compared with Chicago on Export

How Do We Feed the World Without Destroying it? TED Talk on Agriculture.

Professor Jonathan Foley is the Director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of the Minnesota who focuses on the behavior of complex global environmental systems and their interactions with human societies. In particular, Foley's research group uses state-of-the-art computer models and satellite measurements to analyze changes in land use, ecosystems, climate and freshwater

A Trip to the Charlottetown Farmers Market August 2011

The last Saturday in August found me at the Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, farmers market. It had a great flavor, combining fresh fruits and vegetables, crafts, food products, locally roasted coffee, and a lox bagel sandwich booth that was "cleaning up". (I had one and it was the best.)I particularly enjoyed visiting with the spice lady who taught me to dry my lemongrass for winter use and

How True! Farmer in Charlottetown Lays it Out Like it is.

Note that the above words were on a blackboard at a farmers market booth in Charlottetown, P.E.I. when I visited two weeks ago. See actual below:

Photo: Hurricane Irene Waves at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

This is a photo that I took during travels on August 29, 2011, the day after the hurricane hit Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. In my news items earlier this week, I included the Boston Globe's Big Picture photo coverage of Hurricane Irene and #31 was taken in the same location on August 28th, the actual day the hurricane hit the area the hardest. Luckily, there are people on the photo to give you a

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for September 9, 2011

~September 9, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were lower. The markets opened with modest losses on Tuesday after the grain exchanges were closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day Holiday. Soybeans and wheat had selling interest on a lower stock market and a stronger dollar. However, the stock market did recover during the week. Despite the rally in the financial sector

FAO September 2011 Report: Global Cereal Prices are Headed Up

The FAO Food Price Index remained nearly unchanged in August (from July) but was 26 percent higher than in August 2010.International cereal prices rose in August, in particular wheat.Firmer cereal prices in August were largely offset by declines in international prices of most other commodities included in the Index, the oils and dairy in particular.

Year-to-date Ethanol Exports in 2011 are Already More than the Combined Total of 2009 and 2010 Exports

From Renewable Fuels Association: "Unprecedented U.S. ethanol exports continue to be driven by the fact that corn ethanol is currently the lowest-cost motor fuel source in the world."Top destinations: Canada, Brazil, and European Union.Through July 2011, we've exported roughly 7.5% of our total ethanol output.Year-to-date DDGS exports total 4.43 million metric tons, meaning the U.S. is on pace to

China Leads Global Cotton Consumption and Production

The latest (August 2011) USDA estimates for 2011/12 project global cotton consumption at approximately 115.2 million bales. After August reductions in both 2010/11 and 2011/12, cotton consumption for the current season is now forecast to grow about 1 percent after a decline of nearly 4 percent in 2010/11. The top four cotton-spinning countries—China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey—are forecast to

1939 Iowa Farm Art

Grant Wood's Fertility (1939) celebrates the agricultural revolution on the Great Plains.

Extremes of the Weather: Summer 2011 in the U.S.

Are we all thinking it but afraid to ask? What if? What if the extreme weather events of this year continue and accelerate in frequency as each new year unfolds? A growing number of climate scientists have predicted that changes will happen more rapidly than earlier models suggested. Weather determines agricultural production. Period.As of now, expectations are that our corn yields, which allowed

Brazil's Record Soybean Supply Means Favorable Export Potential as the U.S.'s Diminishes

As of the August 2011 forecast, Brazil produced a record 2010/11 soybean crop of 75.5 million tons (up 1 million tons from last month's estimate based on the latest harvest results). The upward adjustment in Brazil’s historical yield trend for soybeans improves the new-crop outlook—raising the 2011/12 crop projection by 1 million tons to 73.5 million. Projected soybean area for Brazil is

Agriculture News September 6, 2011

Oh, woe is me. I am so far behind blogging that I shall never catch up, after being gone on vacation for more than a week. Don't you agree with me that my support staff did a great job while I was gone? In the links below, I've included the Boston Globe's Big Picture coverage of Hurricane Irene. Interestingly, they included one of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. Our trip found us there the day after

The Peasant Had More Freedom than We Do. Oh. Ouch!

Hat tip to No Tech magazine for pointing us to the BBC documentary series, "Terry Jones' Medieval Lives." (All eight episodes available online.) If you have the time, watch the first one, titled "peasants." I took the following quote from the episode:

But since the lord of the manor was often away from the estate fighting the kings wars, he had to be able to rely on his peasants to organize

U.S. Agricultural Trade Balance is Projected to Lose Ground

Data Source: USDA Outlook for Agricultural Trade (fiscal years 2007-12, year ending September 30; 2011 and 2012 are forecasted amounts)
As we all know, every nation wants to increase its exports, and many think that agriculture is the gimme sector in which to do so. Interestingly, our corn export market share is decreasing due to high prices, at 65% higher than one year ago. In the 1990's, corn

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for September 2, 2011

~September 2, 2011~
Compared to last week, grain bids were mostly lower with soybeans trading higher. The markets opened the week on a positive tone with corn and soybeans formulating new contract highs on concerns over yields, lost production, and supply issues. The Stock Market and crude oil both posted sharp gains with the dollar lower. As the month of September began, the grains took a sharp

1941 UK Farm Photo: Ploughing with Horse

1941 Ploughing a double row in Mangold seed
at the farm of S. O. Ratcliff, Maldon, Essex

Graph Showing Investor Purchases of Iowa Farmland 1989-2010

The percentage of land purchased by what were classified as investors rose from less than 20% in the early 1990s to almost 40% in the mid 2000s. During the early part of the past decade many investors were using IRS 1031 like-kind tax exchanges in purchasing farmland.

To learn more, see Choices report by Michael Duffy.

Iowa Cropland and Pasture Rental Rates

Iowa Farmland Rental Rates 1994-2011 (USDA)
Cropland rental rates averaged $196 per acre in 2011, up $20 per acre from 2010. This was the highest value ever recorded. Cash rent for pastures averaged $46 per acre in 2011, an increase of $6 from the previous year. Rent as a percentage of land value was slightly lower than in 2010.

To see multi-year chart go to Iowa State Edwards report.

How has Climate Change Affected Iowa's Weather So Far?

These bullet points are taken from the Part I report about climate change in Iowa, by Iowa State Climate Science Program director, Eugene S. Takle:Iowa has had an 8% increase in annual average precipitation over the 136-year period from 1873-2008. Climatological patterns of precipitation for Iowa consist of an east-west gradient, with drier conditions to the west and wetter to the east, and a

An Organic Farmer Talks About Working to Supply an Oregon Farmers Market

The following video by the folks at "Cooking Up a Story" features Anthony Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm in Oregon. He has been featured on this blog before, and is a friend of this blog in the way of leaving occasional comments. This video deals with the evolution of using their Oregon land (purchased in 1998) and raising a variety of foods to sell at the Hillsdale farmers market. My understanding

Trailer: The Greenhorns (Documentary)

The Greenhorns documentary film, completed after almost 3 years in production, explores the lives of America's young farming community - its spirit, practices, and needs.

Also, see thegreenhorns.net and their blog.

Energy and Transportation Equal 13% of the 2008 Food-at-Home Dollar

Of the 2008 food-at-home dollar, processors command largest industry group share, while salaries represent largest primary factor share...


Source: USDA, Economic Research Service
KM: Always liking to focus upon the energy and transportation issues as related to food security here in the U.S., this is more from Patrick Canning. This break-down of the industry expenses for the at-home food dollar

Efficiency Gains in Beef Production Mean Fewer Cattle, More Meat

The U.S. cattle and calves inventory as of January 1, 2011 was the lowest since 1958. When evaluated on a year-over-year basis, the inventory has continued to decline through 2011, with declines fueled by drought in the Southern Plains and Southeastern United States. Beef production, however, has trended upward over the past several decades. Higher slaughter weights and efficiency gains have

Nearly Half of U.S. Nitrogen Fertilizer is Coming from Foreign Suppliers

Fertilizer is an important component of production costs for crops, especially corn. Nitrogen fertilizer production is energy-intensive as natural gas makes up 70 to 80 percent of production costs. U.S. nitrogen fertilizer supplies, while historically domestic, have been increasingly imported over the past decade. Shares of U.S. nitrogen fertilizer are now nearly equal between domestic and

Photo: 1938 USDA Hen House

source: Shorpy's
August 9, 1938. Washington, D.C. "Air conditioned hen house is latest. Biddy increases the production of eggs in an air-conditioned hen house, U.S. Department of Agriculture experts have discovered after extensive experiments. The first temperature controlled maternity ward for hens has just been put into operation at the governmental experimental farm here. The hens have voiced

The Changing Social Side of Farming in Iowa

The following bullet points were selected from the "Iowa farm and rural life poll: 2010 summary report" by J. Gordon Arbuckle, Jr., extension sociologist; Paul Lasley, extension sociologist; Peter Korsching, professor; and Chris Kast, research assistant. The average Farm Poll participants were 64 years old, which is a statistic all in itself.
Nearly 90% of farmers agreed that people do not depend

Support Staff in Charge

Readers, please note that I will be taking this next week off, but my support staff pictured above has worked very hard to provide you with some posts over the next few days and will be covering for me. Hopefully you won't even notice a thing. As, you can see, they have completely exhausted themselves.

(Please note that this blog is not unlike Paul Krugman's in the support staff department.)

California's Agricultural Strengths, in Brief

This is another presentation from the July 2011 Agricultural Symposium sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. This one focuses upon agribusiness risk in California and was presented by Curt Covington, Bank of the West. California is the single most important agricultural state in this nation, and so I'm using a few statistics from Covington's presentation to remind us of that

Ducks Use Recycled Hydroponic Garden Water

"Duckponics," if you will. Gardener Aleece Landis says that the system is not providing as many nutrients to her plants as she expected, however.Duckponics feeds plants growing in gravel beds with water from a duck pond, and returns the water cleaned and filtered for the ducks enjoyment.Made by EcoFilms Australia. h/t treehugger

The After-Effects of Agricultural Deregulation in New Zealand

The July 2011 Agricultural Symposium sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, brought hundreds of banking and business leaders, government officials and academics together to explore the risks to agricultural profits in the 21st century.

"Recognizing Risk in Global Agriculture" included a Bank of New Zealand presentation titled, "NZ Agriculture - Deregulation 26 years on" by Richard

How Higher Energy Prices Will Affect U.S. Agricultural Production

KM: Note that this post is based upon the newly released USDA report, "Impacts of Higher Energy Prices on Agriculture and Rural Economies" by Ronald Sands and Paul Westcott. It focuses upon a subject which interests me greatly, that of how agriculture can adapt to higher energy prices (or less availability).

There is a great amount of give and take within the Ag/food system as we adjust and

Agriculture News August 22, 2011

Great article, in my opinion: Problems Will Be Global -- And Solutions Will Be, Too (Foreign Policy) "As for individual countries, the states that will be the strongest in 2025 will be those that have figured out how to do more with less."
Investors seeing gold in farmland, infrastructure (Reuters)The New Green Revolution: How Twenty-First-Century Science Can Feed the World (Solutions)A Hotter

Agronomists on Polycultures for Biomass

I'm glad to present this paper which was sent to me by James Giese of the American Society of Agronomy, since, as the paper states, the topic of polycultures in farming has been making the scientific literature lately. Any discussion of the monoculture/polyculture debate is encouraging.

This particular paper contains interesting nuggets of information from various studies as well as the

Eastern Words of Wisdom About Today's Global Problems

If we allow despair to take over then we have no strength left for anything at all. Acceptance can bring us peace, and with peace we can have force. ---Thich Nhat Hanh
I am on the same page as Thich Nhat Hanh, here, in my philosophy of presenting the world's problems and I hope that you are, too. Negativism and doomerism will get us nowhere and there is plenty of it in the headlines today. If we

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for August 19, 2011

~August 19, 2011~Compared to last week, corn and wheat traded lower for the week as soybeans closed higher. On Thursday of this week the Stock Market plunged over 400 points which led to sharp losses in all the commodity markets. Concerns about weakening global economies and European Banks also a sell-off in the energy markets help to spark liquidation selling in the grain complex on Thursday.

Nineteen Food and Agribusiness Stock Picks Based Upon Dividend Yield

KM: Savers have few options these days and are in need of both safety and yield. The previously unsexy area of agribusiness has gotten almost everyone's attention by now, even that of Meredith Whitney's. (See Meredith Whitney's Statement about Agriculture and Commodities Becoming our Next Decade's Structural Change.)

Listed in the table below are nineteen stocks which passed my screening based

1976 Ranching Photo: Idaho Cowboys and Livestock

Watering tank developed to provide water for livestock (source: usda)

Second Quarter 2011 Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Farmland Price Report

source: Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Key points from this report were:
Farmland values for the second quarter of 2011 climbed 17 percent from the level of a year ago in the Seventh Federal Reserve District. This was the largest recorded since the 1970s.Agricultural land values in Indiana and Iowa climbed 20 percent or more in a year, and agricultural land values in Illinois climbed almost as

Second Quarter Farmland Price Gains in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico

Note that the following is taken from the 2nd Quarter 2011 Kansas City Fed Report. The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City includes Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and portions of western Missouri and northern New Mexico.


Farmland values rose further in the second quarter, although the pace of farmland value appreciation slowed. The value of nonirrigated and irrigated cropland in

Sixty-two percent of U.S. Farms Have Internet Access

Farm Computer Usage and Ownership: United States 2001-2011

A total of 62 percent of U.S. farms now have Internet access, compared with 59 percent in 2009. Sixty-five percent of farms have access to a computer in 2011, up 1 percentage point from 2009. The proportion of U.S. farms owning or leasing a computer in 2011, at 63 percent, was up 2 percentage points from 2009. Farms using computers for

August 2011 World Bank Report Shows Food Price Index Up 33% Over a Year Ago

The World Bank came out with an updated report on global food prices and stocks. The following is taken from their August 2011 Food Price Watch report:


Food Price TrendsGlobal food prices in July 2011 remain significantly higher than their levels in July 2010. On average, the World Bank Food Price Index remains 33 percent above its level a year ago. Similarly, price levels of a number of major

Farmland Price by State

Farm Real Estate, Average Value per Acre – United States:


Agricultural Land Values Highlights
The United States farm real estate value, a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms, averaged $2,350 per acre for 2011, up 6.8 percent from 2010. Regional changes in the average value of farm real estate ranged from a 15.9 percent increase in the Corn Belt region to a 2 percent

Surprise! Americans Eat More Refined Grains and Fats than Forty Years Ago!

Flour and cereal products provided more calories per day for the average American than any other food group in 2009.


According to the Loss-Adjusted Food Availability data, Americans are consuming more calories per day than they did nearly 40 years ago. In 1970, Americans consumed an estimated 2,169 calories per person per day whereas in 2009, they consumed an estimated 2,594 calories (after

Agriculture News August 15, 2011

Roberts: I worry that Monsanto recognizes that it's not in their interest to develop and navigate a high-yielding GMO crop through the bureaucratic regulatory maze. Because if they did, they would cannibalize their own profits by driving down commodity prices and thus the amount they could charge farmers for seed. (Greed, Green and Grains)Public sector should develop GM crops for seed companies,

Where does our Dietary Calcium Come From?

Calcium is derived from various sources in the food supply.

Trailer: Summer Pasture

"To be a nomad is to be a herder...I don't know what's going to happen, but it's changing so that it's hard to recognize."
The NYT's did a movie review on "Summer Pasture," which looks to be a beautiful documentary about a culture which I have personally derived a great deal of wisdom from. Will this one, too, be lost?

Locho and Yama, the Tibetan couple who are the focus of the enthralling

Growth in Chicken Meat Supply Over the Past Decades as Compared to Beef and Pork

The amount of chicken available for consumption has steadily increased in the past sixty years.

Boneless, trimmed (edible weight) pounds per capita per year:


The Food Availability data show that food consumption patterns have changed considerably since 1970. In 2009, each American had available to consume, on average, 54 pounds more commercially grown vegetables than in 1970; 60 pounds more

What Is Happening to Corn Farmers in Mexico? Three Films Explain.

For small farmers in rural Mexico, corn farming doesn't eek out a livable wage these days. The genetic diversity of Mexico's many corn varieties and Mexico's culture which revolves around corn, are two conditions worth preserving.

Here We Remain



In rural San Isidro Aloapam in Oaxaca, Mexico, villagers harvest and mill corn while enduring the absence of their family members who have left for

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for August 12, 2011

~August 12, 2011~
Compared to last week, grain bids traded mixed with soybeans lower. The financial markets were very volatile this week spilling over into the grains. The news of downgrading U.S. credit rating and weakness in U.S. equity markets triggered the selloff early in the week. Wheat saw additional pressure from Russia competing in the world export market. More rain in the forecast for

Where did Hispanic Population Double in the U.S. from 2000-2010?

Hispanic populations more than doubled in most nonmetro counties in the South and in many otherwise slow-growing or declining sections of the nation’s Heartland. Much of this growth is fueled by demand for low-skill food-processing and manufacturing workers, but expanding service-sector jobs are also attracting Hispanics into many high-amenity areas in the West and elsewhere.

source: usda

Levine: Pulitzer Potato Poetry

A new national poet laureate has been named: Philip Levine. He grew up in industrial Detroit and one of his main themes is the common worker's life.

In 1995, Levine won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "The Simple Truth."


flickr via La Grande Farmers' Market
The Simple Truth

I bought a dollar and a half's worth of small red potatoes,
took them home, boiled them in their jackets
and ate them

Farm Photo: Iowa Field

An early use of contour strip cropping
(This reminds me of Grant Wood's "regionalism.")
[year unknown]

Depopulation of the Great Plains Continues via the 2010 Census

Persistent outmigration of youth and natural decrease (an excess of deaths over births) fuel severe population loss throughout the Great Plains and in the Mississippi Delta; suburban expansion and amenity-based migration explain rapid population growth in the South and West.

source: usda

Meredith Whitney's Statement about Agriculture and Commodities Becoming our Next Decade's Structural Change

Meredith Whitney appeared on CNBC today and made an interesting statement about agriculture. She began by explaining that it takes a decade of structural changes to go from one thing to the next in an economy and that our nation doesn't need anymore quick fixes, that it needs a long term plan. She went on to say that we need to go from a leverage economy to an agricultural/commodity/agribusiness

The U.S. Food and Beverage Manufacturing Sector employs 11.9% of all U.S. Manufacturing Workers

The U.S. food and beverage manufacturing sector employs 1.6 million people, or 11.9 percent of all U.S. manufacturing workers. Food and beverage processing plants are located throughout the United States. According to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns, California had the most food manufacturing plants (5,863) in 2007, while New York (2,320) and Texas (1,991) were also leading food and

Regional Focus: Farm Conditions in Bulgaria and Romania

The following is an interview of Jeff Notaro about farming and the agricultural potential of the Black Sea Region in Eastern Europe.

1. What might surprise readers here the most about this region?

One of the most interesting facts about the Black Sea region is that the area was once considered the “Bread Basket of Europe” before the two World Wars and Communism took their tolls. Starting from

Washington State Leads U.S. Apple Production

Washington State currently produces over half the Nation’s domestically grown apples and has been the leading apple-growing State since the early 1920s. In 2009, Washington State produced 5.4 billion pounds of apples. New York and Michigan produced over 1 billion pounds each. Apple production has been somewhat stable in Washington State, New York, and Michigan since the 1990s, but production in

Agriculture News August 8, 2011

In the past five days I have been within a few feet of a coyote, a black bear, and Al Gore! ---KM
Market Plus - Market Analyst Mark Gold: But the fact of the matter is when you get in the upper third of historically prices you have to realize that there is risk out there, you have to manage this risk, trying to out trade the guys in Chicago is a losing proposition. Only seven percent of outside

Raising Pigeons, and Examples of Pigeon Houses

History of Raising Pigeons
Pigeons were one of the earliest domesticated livestock and their importance as a food source continued until the time of the industrial revolution. It is believed that they were domesticated starting 10,000 years ago and are mentioned in 5,000 year-old Egyptian hieroglyphics. Pigeon houses exist throughout the world but some of the oldest are found in the Middle

Movie Trailer: American Meat

Homesteading Video Includes a Segment on Drying Garden Produce

Living on Four Acres in California: Mark Cooper and his family have been setting up a "sustainable" lifestyle on four acres in California utilizing grass, woodlands, and have raised a variety of animals for their own food. The video includes a segment on drying garden produce (11:15-20:00). It just might inspire you to start drying your zucchini!

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for August 5, 2011

~August 5, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids traded mixed. The markets had plenty of support going into the month of August as above normal temperatures continued. Grains saw sharp gains led by corn posting limit up gains. Iowa had the hottest July in 56 years had traders worried about pollination issues and yield potential. However, by mid-week the markets took a negative turn

1902 New Mexico Farming Photo: Moki Hoeing Corn

New Mexico Museum of ArtThe Man with the Hoe, Moki Pueblos, 1902; Adam Clark Vroman and Detroit Photographic Company (American, 1856 - 1916); photochrom, 9 x 7 in. (22.9 x 17.8 cm)Adam Clark Vroman was born in La Salle, Illinois. He started working for the Railroad in 1874, but in 1892, to improve his wife's health, the family moved to Pasadena, California. It was then that he began his interest

The singularity is now and coming at us quickly, including in the world of agriculture.

X-ray: NASA/U. of Sydney/G.Anderson et al; IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech
One thing that keeps me going as a blogger is the sense that I am participating in something that is bigger than we yet know. Kurzweilian, if you will."Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence

What is NOT driving up food prices? Bulk shipping rates.

"While ocean freight rates at the end of April 2011 were somewhat higher than in February 2011, they were still less than a fourth of the peak levels reached in 2007 and 2008, largely reflecting the increase in shipping capacity."Ocean freight rates affect the cost of imported food commodities. As food commodity prices increased leading up to the 2008 peak, dry bulk freight rates rose even

Farmworker Country of Origin Trends

The share of hired crop farmworkers who were born in the United States or Puerto Rico fell from about 40 percent in 1989-91 to a low of about 18 percent in 1998-2000, while the share born in Mexico rose from 54 percent to 79 percent over the same interval. Since then, the U.S. and Puerto Rico share has rebounded to about 29 percent and the Mexico share has fallen to about 68 percent. The share

Agriculture News August 1, 2011

Please note that there has been some blog maintenance activity going on here in the form of adding labels to posts. Labels are now found on the lower right sidebar and readers should find them quite useful in referencing previous subjects. For example, you might be surprised to find that there have been quite a few recipes posted since the beginning of this blog, so now all you need to do is

America's Natural Resources for Sale

flickr via KimonBerlin (North Antelope Rochelle Mine, Wyoming)Here's another great article from High Country News: The Global West: how foreign investment fuels resource extraction in western states by Jonathan Thompson. (If you're not a subscriber to this fine publication, please consider it.)From the article:My quest to comprehend the most recent surge of globalization led me to Laramie, then

Art: Gas Can or Water Jar?

New Mexico Museum of ArtFlame Gas Can, 1982 ~ Rick Dillingham (1952–1994)When I was in the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe recently, this thought-provoking exhibit caught my attention. Could our modern way of life survive without either liquid?In the spring of 1972, Dillingham began making ceramic gas cans as a comment on the centrality of gasoline to modern life. Patterned after Pueblo

Yesterday's Hike: Tundra Flowers on the Ute Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park

The hiking trail we traveled was named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans, which used this trail as a mountain pass. "The Ute and Arapahoe Indians walked this ridge in moccasins while journeying between their summer and winter hunting grounds."This was the trail as it appeared today. We traveled approximately four miles of the trail, out and back, to observe July's end blooming tundra

Dilbert on Financial Meltdown Preparedness

Farmers Market Purchases with a Matching Color Scheme

Marveling at the happy accident in like colors from thisweek's two purchases at the Boulder Farmers Market.

Bees on PBS Newshour

5 Years Later, Scientists Still Puzzled by Honeybee Decline ~ Five years ago, honeybees began dying in large numbers and hives were becoming defunct. Spencer Michels reports on the scientists who are still trying to figure out why this is happening and what can be done to help the problem. (transcript)

Sun Oven at Work: Beer Bratwurst

Why heat the kitchen and use electricity when the sun is willing to do the work for you? Our grown sons love to use the solar oven. They also make their own beer, which is why this is their favorite recipe using the Sun Oven:Put a chopped onion and a bottle of home brew into a covered casserole or dark covered pot and heat until the onion is cooked. Add 5-6 beer bratwurst and cook until done.

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for July 29, 2011

~July 29, 2011~Compared to last week, wheat and corn closed with slight to modest gains this week, as soybeans closed lower. This past weekend saw heavy rains across Iowa and Northern Illinois while areas south and in the Central Corn belt recorded very little if any rain. There is support from the high temperatures for the month of July was near record highs for many parts of the Midwest. With

Food is the Subject on the Newsstands

As I browsed a news stand recently, I noticed that two current periodical issues have food titles. Interested readers may want to seek them out.1. Lapham's Quarterly is a periodical "of history and ideas." Its summer 2011 issue is titled "Food." To see the index of the many articles included go here.2. The July/August 2011 issue of "Mental Floss" magazine's title is "The Explosive History of Food

Ploughing. England. 1935 Photo.

Museum of English Rural LifeChertsey Ploughing Match. September 1935.(Thursday is Luddite Day here at Big Picture Agriculture)

Co-Dependency: High Petroleum Prices, Low Dollar Value, High Food Prices

photo: CornellThis post seems timely while we are worrying about the USD's valuation. Historically, other nations tend to buy U.S. Ag commodity exports when the dollar falls, as we've been a major Ag commodity exporting nation. World Ag export competition is increasing, however.One problem is that when the dollar falls, our Ag input costs go higher due to imported energy costs. As our "leaders"

The Moray: Did the Inca Study Climate Conditions on Crops?

photo: wikipedia "This large temperature difference was possibly used by the Inca to study the effects of different climatic conditions on crops."One of many fascinating archeological spots left behind by the Incas is Moray, near Cuzco, Peru. There are four amphitheater like series of concentric circles terraced into the ground at an elevation of 11,500 feet. Though it is debated, a popular

How Can Crops Be Adapted to Climate Change?

wikipedia: sunflowersEarlier, this month, I published the post titled "CSSA's Crop Adaptation to Climate Change Report." James Giese, Director of Science Communications for the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, dropped by and left a comment under the post directing us toward more CSSA publications.Today, I'd like to feature one of

U.S. Piglet Production Finally Surpasses Canada's at More than Ten Piglets per Litter

U.S. hog producers broke through the 10-pigs-per litter barrier in the March-May 2011 quarter, according to the latest count. Averaging 10.03 pigs per litter, the U.S. hog production industry is now positioned to possibly eliminate Canadian hog producers’ longstanding litter-rate lead. U.S. litter rates have trended upward for more than two decades due to widespread adoption of technologies that

Agriculture News July 25, 2011

Jeremy Grantham Q2 2011 - Resource Limitations 2 - Much of the focus is on the subject of agriculture. (Benzinga) I featured Part I here in May.On the famine and drought in the Horn of Africa: (BBC) and "Drought Does not equal famine" (Edward R. Carr)A quarter century of careful assessment by risk-averse Europe has found no evidence of harm to the environment or health from genetically modified

Important to Keep in Mind: How Much Water is Needed to Produce Future Energy?

sourceLooming water shortages, climate change, agriculture, growing populations, and expensive energy are some of the challenges facing our future. Not enough attention is paid to the water requirements of energy production. The above chart shows gallons of water required per Megawatt hour for various energy generating sources. (Note that the chart only includes water used for operation as there

Enjoy Flavored Waters from your Garden

Here are two of my personal favorites:1. Rosemary-Lemon WaterFor great flavor, pick a few fresh rosemary leaves from your herb garden, bruise them slightly and add to lemon water. Rosemary is rich in health benefits including anti-inflammatory and immune-enhancing properties.Unfortunately, the lemons are not from my garden, but in my opinion there is nothing as refreshing as lemon water during

Easy Sauerkraut Using One Head of Cabbage

Cabbages are one of the top five vegetables produced in the state of Colorado. They do well here, and that seems to prove true in our own garden. This is my third season to try my hand at making sauerkraut. This year, I'm excited about a new recipe version which should eliminate mold which can accumulate at the top when using the traditional method in a crock. It's a bit like a sauerkraut version

Movie Trailer: Grow!

Grow! is new 50 minute documentary that captures the energy and independence of a fresh crop of young farmers. All across the U.S. there is a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life. Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump...... Please find out more at movie website.

What's Lady Gaga Doing in a Barn in Nebraska?

Evidently, Lady Gaga is filming her "You and I" video about her true love, a Nebraska-born guy by the name of Luc Carl. He's from Springfield, Nebraska, a town of about 1,400 people, where music video filming is currently taking place. The video is rumored to involve a piano in a corn field, a barn setting, and a soybean field. No reporters are allowed anywhere near, but so far she's been

China Leads the way in U.S. Agricultural Exports to BRIC Nations

With the increase in feed consumption, U.S. crop exports to BRIC countries have grown, especially to China. China has emerged as the leading BRIC destination for U.S. bulk commodities and crops. The value of U.S. bulk commodity exports to China has soared over recent years. The annual value of these exports averaged less than $2 billion from 1990 to 2002, rose to about $4 billion in 2005, and

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for July 22, 2011

~July 22, 2011~Compared to last week, wheat and corn struggled with modest losses this week, as soybeans closed slightly mixed. The weather forecast for the Northern and Western Corn Belt is more favorable than other parts of the Midwest at this time with rain in the near forecast. The possibility of rain pressured the market this week. With the corn market it is all about the weather at this

Average U.S. Farm Real Estate value, nominal and real (inflation adjusted) 1970-2010

Between 1994 and 2004, real values increased between 2 and 4 percent annually, and in 2005 and 2006 experienced sharp annual increases of 16 percent and 11 percent respectively, before slowing to 7 percent and 6 percent annual growth in 2007 and 2008.source: usda

U.S. Farmland Average Price per Acre Valuation Map from the USDA

Agricultural land values vary across States and regions depending on the inherent quality of the land for agricultural production, and on competing demands for other uses, such as development. As of January 2010, the Northeast farm production region had the highest average value of farm real estate, at $4,690 per acre, due in large part to the expected value of agricultural land for future

1947 UK Farm Photo: Threshing Gang

photo: Museum of English Rural LifeThreshing gang with Burrell engine near Bognor Regis, Sussex. 1947.

The June Rural Mainstreet Goss Report

"We are beginning to see some of the air exiting the farmland price bubble." ---Ernie GossThe Goss Reporting on June rural mainstreet surveys is showing:Farmland price index drops to lowest level since October of last year.Almost one-third of bankers report that out-of-area buyers have been the primary purchasers of farm land over the past 4 years.More than two-thirds, or 68 percent, indicated

Map Showing Midwestern Farmland Appreciation First Quarter 2011 from Federal Reserve District Surveys

From the KC Federal Reserve's Report . . .High commodity prices in the first quarter strengthened farm income and spurred further farmland value gains. Most states in the Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City Districts posted double-digit gains in cropland value from the prior year, with gains approaching 25 percent in Kansas, Nebraska and Minnesota.Even with extreme drought conditions in the

A Promising New Boulder Company: Cool Energy Inc. Manufactures Stirling Engine Renewable Energy Systems

I ran across this nifty item in my local paper, the Daily Camera here in Boulder:Boulder's Cool Energy raises $1 million Business incubator Idealab was among the investors who provided $1 million in funding to Boulder-based Cool Energy Inc., a manufacturer of low-temperature Stirling engines that convert solar thermal energy and waste heat into electricity, according to Securities and Exchange

KC Fed Report: Equipment Sales Loans Plunge, Input Cost Loans Surge, and Farm Loan Delinquency Rates are Heading Upwards

In a recently released July report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, I've excerpted portions indicating a quarterly decline in agricultural lending conditions based on bank statistics from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and portions of western Missouri and northern New Mexico. Loan momentum has shifted to short term coverage for high input costs. Note that equipment

Weather and Corn Crop Conditions

I spoke to my family yesterday and they "cannot believe the high USDA corn numbers" because they are seeing a lot of derecho wind damage to corn in their area in Northeastern Nebraska. You recall that most of the national news reports of wind damage were from Iowa. The wind causing the damage reported by my family in Nebraska was from the same storm on July 11th.There is a lot of green snap on my

Agriculture News July 18, 2011

I haven't made a macro economic post here for a while, partly out of exasperation on my part. At this point, what can be said that hasn't already been said and how could it possibly matter with our political, corporate, banking global network such as it is? We've gotten ourselves into a pickle and there's no easy way out. Now, it's just popcorn time while we pay for past sins.In an interview by

Largest four grocery retailers accounted for 37 percent of U.S. grocery sales in 2009

U.S. sales by the 20 largest food retailers totaled $404.2 billion in 2009, amounting to 64.2 percent of U.S. grocery store sales, an increase from 39.2 percent in 1992. Although shares held by the largest 4, 8, and 20 supermarket and supercenter retailers decreased slightly from 2008 to 2009, the longer term trend shows an increasing concentration of sales among the Nation’s largest grocery

Fred Kaufman on Market Capture in the Food "Sustainable Label" Industry

This is a TED Manhattan talk...

Fred concludes through studying tomatoes and Walmart, that "these guys are not measuring sustainability. They're measuring money." In the end, he concludes how wonderful that it would be to have a real, useable "sustainability index."

Laziness Sells

Note that the following was sent to me in one of those "email forwards." I don't know who wrote it.flickr by Aunt OwweeThe Green Thing.......In the line at the store, the cashier told an older woman that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."The clerk

A Trip to the Santa Fe Farmers Market July 2011

The Santa Fe, New Mexico Farmers Market is located in the historic, nicely revitalized rail yards area of town. The "water tower" marks the entrance to the market. Last weekend the weather was sunny and hot with a temperature in the mid-80's. The elevation of this town is 7,200 feet and the annual precipitation is just over 14 inches, the wettest month being July.Plumes of smoke from the Las

Contagion Movie Trailer

Because this film's theme is basically mass hysteria due to apocalyptic bird flu and begins with an inference to factory farming, I thought I'd include it here.

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for July 15, 2011

~July 15, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids closed with sharp gains for the week, in response mostly to the USDA Supply and Demand Report which showed tighter than expected corn ending stocks for the upcoming marketing year. Ending corn stocks were less than expected coming in below trade expectations at 880 million bushels with trade estimates of 905 mb. Changes also came in

Navajo Churro Sheep and Wool

flickr by Just chaosThe rare Navajo Churro sheep are of Iberian descent, brought to North American during the 16th century by the Spanish. By the 17th century, these sheep were popular in the Rio Grande Valley and had been acquired by the Native Americans.Churro sheep are extremely hardy, low-maintenance, and adaptable to climate extremes. Their wool consists of a protective topcoat and a soft

The Renewables 2011 Global Status Report

My photo of Vestas manufacturing plant near Pueblo, ColoradoThe Renewables 2011 Global Status Report on the global growth of renewable energy in 2010 has been released. Here are some of the key findings:The renewable energy sector continues to perform well despite continuing economic recession, incentive cuts, and low natural-gas prices.Renewable capacity now comprises about a quarter of

Farm Photo: Horses Pulling a Wooden Plough in Australia

Wooden plough being pulled by horses in the fields at Avondale research station, inland from Perth, Australia.Avondale was first established as an estate in 1830 and was originally given to the first Governor of Western Australia, Captain James Stirling as a grant from Queen Victoria. It passed through many hands during the 1800's before being purchased by the Lands Department in 1911 and was

Old Agricultural Methods and Tools on these Luddite Sites

Readers here know that every Thursday I post an old agriculture photo, often a field showing the use of animal labor or old farm equipment. Regardless of whatever "foodie" outlook or feelings of food supremacy we have, the fact is, we have gained leisure time by the industrialization of agriculture over these past decades which has freed us from the endless hours previously spent doing physical

Farm Raised Fish Video From Maine and TIME magazine's Aquaculture Issue

Global aquacultural production increased from less than 1 million tons in 1950 to 52.5 million tons in 2008, and over the past few decades, aquaculture has grown faster than any other form of food production. Today about half the seafood consumed around the world comes from farms.


TIME magazine's recent issue is about aquaculture, and "the future of fish." See feature article The End of the

Global Map of Precipitation Changes Expected by 2040 Due to Climate Change

The following map is from the BIS report, "International Dimensions of Climate Change." [pdf] The map shows the projected change in annual mean precipitation (mm per year) for 2040, relative to 1970-1999.*Then, below, the "agriculture" section has been excerpted from the report.Ensemble modelling carried out for this project signals a decrease in precipitation in parts of the Amazon region,

Agriculture News July 11, 2011

I spent last week in New Mexico, and will cover this unique agricultural region over the next few days. New Mexico's combination of diverse native peoples, settlement history, tiny farm plots, freedom from agribusiness lobbyists, and sparse water conditions make it an important focal point of study. There may not be another state in the U.S. with as much to offer the progressive Ag community. By

Farming on Boulder County Open Space Land

A Boulder County Open Space Farm Tourof Three Farms in June 2011Out of 94,000 acres of Boulder County Open Space land, about 24,000 acres are devoted to agriculture. The BCOS program values agriculture as an important resource to the community in preserving its heritage as a food producing region and for providing ongoing food security.This area has faced horrendous development challenges,

U.S. weekly Grain Market in Review for July 8, 2011

~July 8, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids closed higher with solid to sharp gains for the week, after last week’s bearish USDA report for corn acreage triggered limit down losses for corn and near limit down losses for wheat and soybeans. Corn had bullish export news with China being major buyers which help to led to solid gains for the corn market. Soybeans had sharp gains

CSSA's Crop Adaptation to Climate Change Report

Note that this post contains a few interesting excerpts from a new report by the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA is an international scientific society comprised of 6,000+ members with its headquarters in Madison, WI.) The title of the report is "Position Statement on Crop Adaptation to Climate Change" [pdf]"Climate change has far reaching implications for food security, health and safety,

Old Farm Photo: Plowing with Horses in South Dakota

Early use of contour plowing on a farm near Interior, South Dakota. [year unknown]

Pork is Number One, but Poultry Production Continues to Increase Worldwide, and Beef Falls Behind

Poultry’s share of world meat production has steadily increased, while beef’s share has declined. The changing composition of global meat production has affected the amount and kind of feed used. Poultry production is the most efficient animal industry at converting grain and protein meal into meat. Pork, however, continues to account for the largest share of world meat production, with China

Farm Production Expenses in 2011

This post contains information about the rising costs of inputs for industrial agriculture, namely fertilizer, fuels, and pesticides. There is a goal growing in momentum from both agribusiness and producers to increase production while improving sustainability and lowering input costs. Luckily, methods which lower input costs generally improve sustainability. The following graphs and statistics

Agriculture News July 5, 2011

As everyone knows by now, some air came out of the wheat and corn bubbles last week. But, there's a lot of doubt in the air concerning the large number of corn acres reported by the USDA. The biggest loser? The Ogallala aquifer, since Nebraska led the way as the state with the largest corn acreage gain, at 850,000 additional corn acres.'Goat plague' threat to global food security and economy must

Happy 4th!!!

Steve Breen via Gocomics~~~Wishing you both freedom and the American Dream on this day in which we celebrate our independence from those bloody Brits!~~~Bruce Beattie via Gocomics

The Kansas City Urban Farming Guys Plan

“… to empower the globe with food freedom, alternate energy & a sustainable community.”

By cultivating the life of the inner-city of Kansas, they’re demonstrating a sustainable change, not only to their neighborhood, but also to the world. Thinking global, acting local. Sharing knowledge: worldwide.

(Website here)

Aspen Institute Session: Can Science Feed the World?

Can Science Feed the World? Growing enough food in decades ahead at an acceptable cost to the planet will depend on research into everything from high-tech seeds to low-tech farming practices. Scientists increasingly see a critical role for “sustainable intensification,” an approach to producing more food from the same land with fewer inputs of energy and water, and at the same time reducing the

Ethanol Mandate Means Corn Demand Less Responsive to Price

Note that the following article is published with permission from Purdue University. The corn price dynamics explained is an important subject ~ determined entirely by policy. Tyner tells us that the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency has the right to waive the ethanol mandate if it is perceived that significant economic harm is occurring because of it. [Writer: Steve Leer;

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for July 1, 2011

~July 1, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids closed sharply lower for the week. Fireworks for the 4th of July got started early as a very bearish corn acreage report triggered limit down losses for corn and near limit down losses for wheat with soybeans closing with sharp losses as well. The in-delivery July corn contract traded with no limits in place and showed it on Thursday (

FAO Report: Climate Change, Water, and Food Security

"Irrigation is the prime means of intensification and will remain a keystone of food security policies in the face of climatic variability."The FAO has come out with a 200-page PDF report titled "Climate Change, Water, and Food Security." The comprehensive report focuses on water management as climate change conditions evolve. The focus is on irrigated systems that currently produce roughly 40

Farm Photo: New Mexico Corn Harvest 1940

Harvesting new corn from the field of Jim Norris, Pie Town, New Mexico.Russell Lee. October 1940.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Collection (Thursday is Luddite Day here at big picture agriculture)

OECD and FAO: Agricultural Production Costs are Rising and Productivity Growth is Slowing

KM: The following are excerpts from the very interesting OECD and FAO report, "Agricultural Outlook 2011-2020." Please note the following sentence:There are signs that production costs are rising and productivity growth is slowing. Energy related costs have risen significantly...One of my greatest concerns regarding food security, is that as the cost of producing food rises, the amount of food

Agriculture News June 28, 2011

KM: Isn't it ironic that the policy of corn ethanol came about to support corn prices here in the U.S. and now our grain commodities are uncompetitive on the global market? The stronger dollar, plenty of global competition, and domestic high grain prices are resulting in fewer grain exports. Talk about a snake eating its tail.Black Sea feed-grain is offered in the world market a dollar a bushel

Brazil is Pulling Ahead in Cotton Production

Cotton yields in Brazil have risen the fastest of major world producers in recent years. Brazil and India had similar yields in 1992, both below the United States and the world average.With the adoption of modern, large-scale farming and improved access to inputs—and due to the extremely favorable climate in Brazil’s new production regions—Brazil’s cotton yields have surged to more than double

Diesel Prices and Farming. What is the Plan?

1-Year Diesel Price Graphsource: thefinancials.comToday's nationwide average diesel price is $3.95 per gallon.3-Year Diesel Price Graphsource: thefinancials.comThe record price for diesel was set in July, 2008, at $4.76 per gallon.Some analysts listed the price of diesel as one of the reasons the IEA announced plans to release oil from the emergency reserves last week.Earlier this year, I

An "On Your Honor" Farmstand in Vermont

h/t cooking up a story

A New Documentary About Dumpster Diving and Food Waste in America

Dive! Living Off America's Waste by Jeremy Seifert

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for June 24, 2011

~June 24, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were moderate to sharply lower. Early in the week the grains had support from outside markets as the stock market, crude oil was higher and the dollar lower. Flooding concerns and rumors of China buying corn helped to support the market. However, corn was limit down with wheat and soybeans also having sharp losses as a heavy wave of

A Positive 2011 Food Security Story: Rice Production

Golden rice, on the right, was engineered in 1999 to contain β-carotene. It is capable of preventing blindness and immune deficiency in children vulnerable to Vitamin A deficiency.Rice is the food staple for half of the world's population. More than 90% of the world’s rice is grown and consumed in Asia by 60% of the world's population, on about 11% of the world’s cultivated land. Due to rapid

The G-20 Food Summit Goals. What is the Agricultural Market Information System or AMIS?

Lady on tractor with cell phone, Orchha (India)photo via flickr hartjeff12The G-20 summit currently taking place in Paris has focused primarily upon the subject of international food security. The group's goal is to help stabilize world food prices, especially in the poorer developing nations. Helping to achieve this goal through increasing the use of data collecting is possible because of

Farm Photo: Cotton Fields in Georgia 1941

Chopping cotton on rented land near White Plains, Greene County, Georgia.Jack Delano - Farm Security Administration. 1941.(Thursday is Luddite Day at big picture agriculture)

June 2011 Updated Stocks-to-use Ratios for U.S. and World Wheat, Rice, Corn, Soybeans, Cotton, Sorghum

Global stocks-to-use ratios2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11estimate2010/11forecast(June 2011) World Cereal 19.8 19.3 22.7 23.421.221.0Wheat 25.9 22.6 27.7 30.927.727.1Coarse Grains 14.6 14.9 17.5 16.914.213.9Rice 23.9 25.2 28.228.829.130.6 chart: http://bigpictureagriculture.blogspot.com/source: June 2011 FAO Report~~~~~Stocks-to-use 2011/12U.S. ratio Global Ratio Corn 5.2

Global Sugar Stocks-to-use Ratios: Why is there a Discrepancy? Anybody?

Readers,Over the next few days I am working on a few reports based upon stocks-to-use ratios. I noticed a huge discrepancy between the USDA and FAO sugar global stocks-to-use ratios. The FAO has percents in the 30's and the USDA has percents in the teens. (see below) If there is anyone here who would care to take the time to leave a comment explaining why, I'd really appreciate it, as I'm

Current and Potential Arable Land use in Africa

Out of the total land area in Africa, only a fraction is used for arable land. Using soil, land cover and climatic characteristics a FAO study has estimated the potential land area for rainfed crops, excluding built up areas and forests – neither of which would be available for agriculture. According to the study, the potential – if realised – would mean an increase ranging from 150 – 700%

A Dose of Authentic Phonie Starbucks® Horse Hoof Gelatin

photo flickr: by the 3786 cups of water[Note that the following article is from the July 2011 Agsight, written by Nevil Speer, PhD, MBA of Western Kentucky University. Dr. Speer is always good at pointing out "the other side of the story."]My family and I stopped at Starbucks® for some coffee during a recent vacation trip. While getting into line we chanced upon an ongoing conversation between

Agriculture News June 20, 2011

Goss Report: No Double Dip Signals for Rural Mainstreet Economy: Farm Land Price Growth Weakens for June Global rice prices may decline as increased harvests in the biggest producers exceed demand and boost stockpiles, according to the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization.Food Reserves Could Come Back Into VogueCorn has very rare premium over wheatA rare inversion in prices of corn and

Missouri River Floods a Million Acres of Farmland

The flooding of the Missouri River story is from my old stomping grounds. In college, I spent a spring afternoon somewhat dangerously on the Mighty Mo with three friends in a small rubber raft floating to Omaha when the river was high. I've biked the Steamboat Trace Trail many times near Brownville, Nebraska which follows the river near the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant which has been in the news

Six Month Precipitation Map for the U.S. December 2010 to May 2011

Chief Seattle. We shall see. 1854.

photo: wikipedia ~ Chief Seattle"All things are connected."The following speech is attributed to Chief Seattle. It seems timely, but then it is a timeless piece.~Chief Seattle's 1854 Speech on the Environment~How can you buy or sell the sky, the warmth of the land? The idea is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?Every part of

Thirty Cattle Breeds Described

To follow is a photographic listing of thirty types of cattle, of the genus Bos, subfamily Bovinae. They are truly an example of natural selection at work as many have adapted to specific climatic conditions such as heat, cold, mountains, drought, and tropics. Some do better surviving on scrubby vegetation and others produce tender marbled meat on grass diets because of their unique genetics.

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for June 17, 2011

~June 17, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were moderate to sharply lower. The markets were under pressure with the dollar sharply higher as Greece’s debt default fears help to spark a wide sell-off in the equities and energy markets with the Stock Market and crude oil suffering sharp losses. Additional pressure for corn was noted on improved crop weather across the Midwest and

Decorah, Iowa Eaglets Will Leave Nest in the Next Ten Days

I included this most-popular-webcam-ever (over 151 million views) in my news links here a month ago. Today's post is a reminder that these eaglets are soon to leave their nest! To find out the history of this nest, go here. UPDATE: The very day after I posted this two have left the nest and are out on the tree limb Thursday. Very cute, good camera work!

Top Reasons for Rising Energy Use in the Food Industry

About half of the growth in food-related energy use between 1997 and 2002 is explained by a shift from human labor toward a greater reliance on energy-intensive technologies. High labor costs in the foodservices and food processing industries, combined with household outsourcing of manual food preparation and cleanup efforts through increased consumption of prepared foods and more eating out,

It's Gettin Real in the Whole Foods Park'n Lot

h/t Nevil Speer

Corn Acres have replaced Barley, Oats and Sorghum Feed Grains

World Corn Stocks ChartEnding Stocks vs. Stocks/Usage Ratio 1981-2011from the Hightower ReportThe tightness of corn supplies is likely to heighten the backlash against the use of the grain by ethanol plants, which are for the first time in 2011-12 set to consume more of the crop in the US than livestock farmers. ... Tom Elam of FarmEcon added that the picture on feed supplies appeared even more

Agriculture News June 13, 2011

Map Showing Record Temperature Events from the Past WeekUSDA’s June Supply & Demand Report Is Worth Reading!Super wheat to combat deadly food supply threatCommodity farmers hope gas prices stay high, small produce growers hoping for reliefFarm Debt and the Farm Real Estate BubbleBrazil Sees A Promising Future Restarting The Ethanol BusinessBig money moves into the Midwest grain tradeGrain bins: A

The Top Fifteen Pesticide Laden Fruits and Vegetables that you Buy in your Grocery Store

1. Apples2. Celery3. Strawberries4. Peaches5. Spinach6. Nectarines (imported)7. Grapes (imported)8. Sweet Bell Peppers9. Potatoes10. Blueberries (domestic)11. Lettuce12. Kale/collard greens13. Cilantro14. Cucumbers15. Grapes (domestic)This list is from the Environmental Working Groups "2011 Shopper's Guide To Pesticides in Produce." For more (including a list of the cleanest) see: [pdf]

A Round-Up of the NYT's Recent Food Security Articles by Justin Gillis

NYT's environmental writer, Justin Gillis, did a recent series of articles on the subject of agriculture related to global warming and food security. All are worth reading, so I decided to devote a thread to linking them here. There are many links to articles within the links below for readers who'd like to delve deeper into any of these subjects.This first article, listed below, started the

The German E. coli Outbreak and Its Impact Upon Vegetable Producers

photo of E. coli from wikipediaNote that the following article is from Policy Pennings, by Daryll E. Ray and Harwood D. Schaffer, of the University of Tennessee's Agricultural Policy Analysis CenterE. coli again: A troubling new twist with serious consequencesAs we are writing this column, 2,153 people have become ill from an E. coli outbreak that is centered in Germany, 22 have died and

Cheese Consumption Growth from 1975-2008

Cheese sales are a key economic component of the U.S. dairy industry. As consumer demand for cheese products has risen over time, more of the milk produced on American dairy operations has been allocated to making a variety of cheeses. About 188.9 billion pounds of milk were marketed in the United States in 2008, and 127 billion pounds were used in the manufacture of dairy products. Cheese

What the White House Garden Would Look Like if it were Planted to Reflect the Relative Costs of the Main Crops Subsidized by U.S. Taxpayers

Gravity Drip Bucket Irrigation Systems for Vegetable Gardens Enhance Food Security for the Food Insecure

source: double harvest.org in KenyaWith growing water challenges and a changing climate, one simple technology that is gaining a foothold for subsistence farmers in Africa, India, and at least 150 other nations, is that of drip irrigation. According to Ezemvelo Eco Campus Blog, "Studies in Kenya have shown that two of these kits can provide the water needed to produce enough vegetables to feed

Trailer: Urban Roots

Urban Roots is a documentary film which follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future.

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for June 10, 2011

~June 10, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were lower with yellow corn higher. Wheat was under pressure most of the week as rain was reported in Europe’s wheat country and bearish supply/demand report. Wheat had new crop ending stocks at 687 million bushels, 15 million bushels lower than last month, but winter wheat production for 2011-2012 is forecast at 2.068 billion bushels,

U.S. Ethanol Export Numbers and Trends

(Note that undenatured product is pure ethanol and denatured product has additives to make it undrinkable.)Ethanol exports set another record in March, as 84 million gallons of product (denatured and undenatured, non-beverage) were shipped to destinations around the world.Brazil imported nearly 23 million gallons of U.S. ethanol in 2010.Denatured ethanol exports totaled a record 58.6 million

Farm Photo: 1938 Prefab House Delivery

Truck loaded with parts of prefabricated houseRoanoke Farms, North Carolina. April 1938.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph (Thursday is Luddite Day at big picture agriculture)

Distillers Grains Exports are Slowing

Distillers Grains ExportsDDGS exports increased 100% from 2008 to 2009.DDGS exports increased 60% from 2009 to 2010.More than 25% of total U.S. distillers grains production, totaling 9 million tonnes, was exported in 2010.In 2010, China was the largest buyer with 2.5 million tonnes, or 28% of the total. But, in January, China started an anti-dumping investigation on U.S. DDGS, which halted

Bob Dinneen is Exuberant over Ethanol Exports to Brazil

“Biofuels are like cholesterol. There’s good and bad cholesterol.” ---Brazil’s former President Lula@ethanolbobThese recent tweets, below, by Renewable Fuel Association's CEO and ethanol lobbyist, Bob Dinneen, caught my attention. I think you'll agree with me that they are quite interesting in a voyeuristic way in which one watches someone present a very biased "rah-rah" side of a tainted

"big picture agriculture" Makes its Second Appearance on NYTs Dot Earth

This weekend, the NYTs ran a big agricultural article by Justin Gillis titled "A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself." The article is worth reading, but I detected the usual MSM sensationalism long on alarmist rhetoric and short on fact. There was just so much relevant information left out. None-the-less, the article derived a great deal of attention and mentions.I was thrilled to see Dot

Bees, Clothianidin, Boulder County, and My Poppies

Bees on my Poppies on this June Morning Here in BoulderWhen I walked into my garden this morning it was ablaze with eight open poppies and swarming bees. What a beautiful sight. Poppies are one of my favorite flowers and I moved this plant with me from Lincoln, Nebraska to Boulder, Colorado three years ago. They apparently love our rich volcanic alluvial soil and the weather here, as they're

Agricultural News June 3, 2011

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/Global food crisis: China land deal causes unease in ArgentinaChina’s Interest in Farmland Makes Brazil UneasyTanzanians hack farmer in Manyara to death in land rowIGC cuts forecast for 2011/12 global wheat crop see [pdf]German Outbreak is new form of E.coliSpain takes on Germany after cucumber scare cripples farm exportsTo address unemployment, Georgia governor

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for June 3, 2011

~June 3, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were higher with wheat trading moderately lower. After the Memorial Day Holiday all three wheat exchanges opened the week with sharp losses on bearish influences as China is on track to produce a record wheat harvest and there is less worrisome world stock situation at this time. Follow through selling continued as Russia announced to

Farm Photo: Before the Auction 1938

Farmers waiting for the auction to begin. Oskaloosa, Kansas. October 1938.Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph(Thursday is Luddite Day at big picture agriculture)

The Perils of International Farmland Investing

In this age of global uncertainty in the area of food producing and wealth preservation, productive farmland around the world has been placed into the spotlight by "guru investors," wealth management funds, growing mega agri-industries, wealthy individuals, and especially, food insecure nations.If ownership of the farmland of a nation doesn't define a nation, then what does, I ask? Why are the

A Comparison of Farmland Prices Around the World

How do farmland prices vary around the globe?The world's farmland prices are in continual flux, and vary greatly based upon location, soil quality, regional weather, infrastructure, water, and irrigation potential. Prices also depend upon respective national politics and farm policies. Currently, there is a great deal of interest in arable farmland acquisitions throughout the world by sovereign

Video: Planet for Sale - Big Ag Buying Up World's Fertile Land

(55 minutes)

Summer Blogging Reader Note

June 1, 2011Dear Valued Readers,This note is to inform you of a blogging style change here for the coming summer months.I know from past experience that blog readership gets lighter in the summertime. I also know that I have a growing list of topics in the queue that I wish to write about and never seem to get to and that list grows longer each week. So, I've decided to focus on more in depth

Gary Nabhan in Boulder at Abbondanza and the Importance of Seed Diversity

"I don't feel comfortable being around people who share all the same values that I do."---Gary NabhanWith views of the Rocky Mountains in the background, I listened to Gary Nabhan speak common sense about agriculture last Sunday afternoon in an informal outdoor setting at one of my favorite local organic farms here in Boulder County, Abbondanza Organic Seeds and Produce.World-renown conservation

U.S. Weekly Grain Market in Review for May 27, 2011

~May 27, 2011~Compared to last week, grain and soybean bids were mixed to slightly higher. Soybeans found support from unfavorable weather in the forecast for the Midwest and higher crude oil prices. Weekly export sales for soybeans were disappointing coming in at at a total of 157,100 tonnes. Soybean meal sales came in at 137,500 metric tonnes which was better than expected. Net oil sales were

Canada's Wheat Market Restructuring

photo: flickrLegislation is underway to change the way in which Canada's wheat is marketed. In 2012, the Canadian Wheat Board will no longer be in control, a system which has been in place for eight decades. CWB has been in charge of buying and selling all wheat produced in Canada. It employs approximately 2,000 people in Winnipeg and was responsible for $850 million in GDP in 2005. Richardson,

Farm Photo: Artificial Insemination 1935

photo: Shorpy'sAugust 1935. Prince George's County, Maryland. "One step in artificial insemination." If you like animals, and working with your hands, we have the perfect opening -- apply within. (And, smoking permitted!) 35mm nitrate negative by Carl Mydans for the Farm Security Administration.

Two Impending Shocks to Current Farmland Prices: Falling Crop Prices or Rising Interest Rates

photo: flickrNote that this post is taken from a report by Jason Henderson and Brian Briggeman for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, "What are the Risks in Today’s Farmland Market?"Capitalizing Future RevenuesIf historical relationships hold true, Midwestern cropland values hinge on farm revenues, interest rates and their relationship with the capitalization rate. Assuming average

Tractor and Combine Sales Trends in the U.S., Canada, and Russia

photo: flickrU.S.According to AEM, total farm tractor unit sales are up 1.5% during the first four months of 2011 and self-propelled combine sales are up 34%.CanadaAccording to AEM, total farm tractor unit sales are down 5% during the first four months of 2011 and self-propelled combine sales are up 20%.RussiaAccording to Rosagromash, self-propelled combine shipments for the first quarter of this

ADM Invests Big in Uruguay Port

photo: wikipedia ~ Nueva Palmira, UruguayArcher Daniels Midland Co is investing more heavily in South American grain shipping. Within two years they plan to handle 2.8 million metric tons of goods at the Nueva Palmira port in Uruguay.Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) announced the construction of a port terminal at Nueva Palmira, Uruguay, to meet corn, soy, wheat and soybean meal

More Agricultural Water Gets Highjacked for Urban Development. This time for the Growth of Colorado Springs.

photo: wikipediaColorado has announced its biggest water project in many decades. Colorado Springs growth is being limited by its water supply, so it has begun a piped in project from an Arkansas River reservoir to its south, located at Pueblo.Colorado Springs metro area population now stands at 647,758 which is a 21% increase since 2000. This project will increase its water supply by one-third.

The UN's Population Changes Expected through 2100

According to the UN, the world’s population will surpass 7 billion at the end of October, a few months earlier than had been expected. The global total will continue to rise slowly until 2100, when it will flatten out at 10.1 billion. During the period of fastest growth, in the late 1980s, the world’s population was rising by over 88m a year. Now annual growth is down to 75m and by 2050 it will

Agriculture News May 23, 2011

Today's Note: Ohio just experienced their wettest April in history, Illinois their wettest since 1895, and Wisconsin the wettest in 30 years. Early crop insurance estimates that South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio each are looking at nearly $1.5 billion in crop losses. Corn Belt yields may be curtailed by 964 million bushels, according to WeatherBill. So much for the required perfect weather

Map of Largest Fruit-Producing States in the U.S.

California, Florida, and Washington are Nation’s Largest Fruit-Producing StatesCalifornia accounts for about half of U.S. bearing fruit acreage, Florida almost one-fourth, and Washington around one-tenth. Michigan, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Texas are also important fruit-producing States and together account for over one-tenth of the Nation’s fruit acreage. California is the largest