Inefficient Agriculture

[dominiquer60]

Of course this is preaching to the choir, but it is interesting none the less. This was forwarded to me by a friend who is still connected with some of the folks at Cornell’s City and Regional Planning Dept. So at least it is being thought of at the Big Red, whether they do something thoughtful about it we’ll see.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/make-farming-energy-efficient-965542.html

Erika

[tsigmon]

“We currently burn about 107 gallons of fuel to produce crops on an acre of farmland, with nearly two-thirds of this energy use being in the form of fertilizers and pesticides. “

I find this a little hard to belive and see nowhere this is foot noted to be verified. It sure isn’t typical for my operation. With off road diesel @ $3.65/ gal here in SC that would make an imput of $390/ ac . Not that agriculture endeveors couldn’t be more efficient, but it sounds like some type of political agenda to me.

[gwpoky]

My brother in law runs about 1500 acres very “conventionally” so I called him and asked what his cost/acre of inputs is looking like this year, he said to get 180 bushel per acre yield average it costs him anywhere from $300 to $500 dollars per acre depending on crop planted seed type and amount of tillage and chemical necessary on that particular ground. so $390 isn’t to far off I don’t think. he has also contracted allot of his corn crop above $6 per bushel, but said with these prices he should make out okay this year. I know a few guys around here that have $300+ just in seed.:eek: What we need is allot more smaller mixed crop/livstock farms 10-200 acres and less huge mono/bi-crop farms.

[mitchmaine]

I think the last time agriculture was efficient was never. Even the hunter/gatherer spent most of the calories gained from eating his mastodon by hunting and killing his next. Hopefully it was an even trade. The gain from farming was social order. Cities, language, art, military. Language. All the things we take for granted but they come at a carbon cost. We are just carbon based critters eating carbon based critters. Animals eat plants and animals eat animals and animals die becoming plants. Oil is just another plant. Another carbon being burnt and consumed. So its natural. Use it up.
If we torched all the oil left and touched off all the nuclear warheads left all at once, what a ball of fire, but it wouldn’t be the end of the earth. Maybe the end of man, but the earth would just keep on spinning, and some algea and bacteria and virus and fungus would survive. Maybe even some fringe folk like eskimo or lapp or newfie or some Polynesian and start all over again populating the earth. One more go around on a blank slate. Maybe get it right this time. I’m not worried. Use the oil.
Speaking of a ball of fire, the sun came out today. Burning away, growing grass for all to eat. All that energy bouncing off the earth and heading out, going to waste. All the benefit we get and take from the sun is less than five percent of the energy spent our way. Catch that stuff. Oh, wait. No one owns it. It can’t be sold. What was I thinking???????????

[Mark Cowdrey]

Am currently reading Meat: A Benign Extravagance, by Simon Fairlee.

He looks at much more than the meat vs vegan “efficiency” argument, including a host of efficiency & sustainability in agriculture issues. Very even handed & non-dogmatic. Highly recommended.
Mark

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