By John Newton, Ph.D. @New10_AgEcon
When the question arises of how we are going to feed the world’s 9 billion people in a climate that seems increasingly volatile and extreme, all eyes turn to U.S
By John Newton, Ph.D. @New10_AgEcon
When the question arises of how we are going to feed the world’s 9 billion people in a climate that seems increasingly volatile and extreme, all eyes turn to U.S. agriculture, and rightfully so. The answer to this question lies ahead of us, but important lessons can be gleaned from the long-time efforts of farmers to promote soil health, conserve water and efficiently use nutrients.
Agriculture Department data reveals that over the last 70 years, U.S. farmers have boosted agricultural output by 270% while the use of resources such as land, fertilizers, chemicals and energy has remained mostly unchanged. They’ve done so in the face of droughts, floods, excessive heat and plant diseases by developing new technologies that allow them to be more productive on the farm. At the same time farmers are growing their productivity, they’re shrinking their carbon footprint.
Data from the Environmental Protection Agency reveals that in 2017, agriculture represented only 9% of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions – far less than the 57% of emissions generated by motor vehicles and electric power generation. Since 1990, per-unit greenhouse gas emissions related to beef production have declined by 9%. Milk-production-related GHG emissions have declined by 25%, while GHG emissions from soybean production are down nearly 30%. Moreover, methane emissions from enteric fermentation (cows passing gas), have represented less than 3% of all GHG emissions annually for nearly 30 years.
The successes of farmers, ranchers and foresters go well beyond a smaller carbon footprint.
Afforestation, the process of planting trees, has accelerated because we’re using less land to grow crops and raise livestock. These land use changes and forestry efforts consistently provide a net emission reduction larger than that of all emissions from agricultural production. Put another way, farmers, ranchers and foresters are leading the way to deliver solutions.
Then there’s renewable energy. Over the last decade nearly 3 trillion pounds of corn has been used to produce clean, renewable ethanol for blending into motor fuels. In 2018 alone, the use of ethanol and biodiesel reduced carbon emissions by an amount equivalent to 17 million cars.
Methane digesters have turned waste into a value-added product used on and off the farm. In the last five years, the use of methane digester technology has increased by nearly 30%, helping to turn waste into clean natural gas, fertilizers and other renewable products. Using digester technology and feed additives designed to reduce enteric fermentation, milk production in the U.S. could ultimately achieve net zero emissions.
We’re also doing more to protect natural resources including soil and water. In 2017 the top soil practice was no-till conservation, a method of growing crops or pasture without disrupting the soil, thereby reducing so