Agriculture’s Consumption of Earth’s Resources

During my lifetime as a farmer in the San Luis Valley I have watched the Green Revolution from a front-row seat. My family tended fields throughout the industrial development of agriculture. We participated in and benefited from the mechanization of farming. Tractors and hydraulics replaced manual labor. Manufacturers made larger and more efficient farm implements. Cheap fertilizers replaced long-term crop rotations and manure. New grain and vegetable varieties produced higher yields of quality produce. We seemed to be on the verge of an agrarian utopia – and then we noticed some problems.

While chemical pesticides have received most of the publicity, it is my opinion, based on my own experiences and research, that agriculture’s misuse of resources is as serious a threat to our future as climate change. In 1900 the average farm raised five crops. Today that number is barely over one. There are several consequences of this mono-crop agriculture that will play out this century to the detriment of everyone. Soil scientists have known for decades that growing the same crop year after year with applied fertilizer eventually leads to a loss of topsoil and a depletion of fertility within that soil. For instance, after a potato crop is harvested, there is no crop residue to protect the bare soil from water and wind erosion. This erosion strips the most productive part of the soil away, leaving the coarse and less fertile sand behind. As a consequence, crop yields are leveling off at a time when our planet’s food demands are increasing rapidly.

According to David Montgomery, in his book Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, there is an almost perfect correlation between nitrogen fertilizer use and grain production from 1961 to 2000. We now apply millions of tons of fertilizer each year to maintain the crop yields. The USDA estimates that it takes 50 percent of applied fertilizer to replace fertility lost due to soil erosion. Ninety-nine percent of the nitrogen manufactured uses natural gas as its primary feedstock. Since a barrel of oil takes millions of years to produce and the world uses a billion barrels every 11 days – 93 million barrels a day according to the Wall Street Journal – the question is not if we will run out of oil but when we run out.

Today’s agriculture consumes 30 percent of all our oil between fertilizer, diesel fuel to power those big tractors, and fuel to transport those crops to markets across the country. We have arrived at this point by each farmer following his economic best interests and planting the crop or crops that will make him the most money. Big agricultural companies enjoy the support of Wall Street and the power of capital which tilts the playing field towards them. Today, there is no way for an independent chicken farmer to compete against any of the big meat companies that dominate the chicken industry. That’s why pork, beef and chicken production are concentrated into a few hands in a few locations.

We have the capacity to change the trajectory of American agriculture but it is going to take new forms of advocacy. For all the publicity organic agriculture receives, in 2012 it only accounted for .8 percent of total farmland in the country, according to USDA surveys. Later this century when oil production drops, fertilizer will become more expensive and farmers will rediscover the benefits of crop rotation. While farmers can be very adaptable to changing circumstances, what we need right now is a more proactive, dynamic agriculture, looking to solve problems before they become critical. Nitrogen fertilizer can be fixed in the soil by growing legumes. If we haven’t paved over all the farmland surrounding our cities, we can grow more produce locally. We can reintroduce livestock onto diversified farm operations. Unfortunately, none of these changes is happening fast enough right now.

There is no economic mechanism in the country right now that provides a farmer with the incentive to forego this year’s profit in order to fight effects of soil erosion, oil depletion or pesticide use. A farmer is no different from the rest of us; he needs to make a profit this year in order to be in business next year or 10 years from now. There won’t be substantial changes made until we change the nation’s agricultural policies. Many policymakers at the USDA have strong ties to the very companies making the most money from the current system. Our politicians receive their money from the same large companies or trade organizations that represent the status quo.

The world should be transitioning to responsible, sustainable agriculture right now before it’s too late. Unfortunately, many of our elected leaders treat this issue the same as they view climate change or renewable energy. Many politicians deny climate change, cut renewable energy programs and declare that the free market will solve all our problems. While there is a lack of leadership from the top, there are many grassroots activities striving to make a difference. Slow Food USA encourages sustainable farm production. Local producers are raising livestock without chemicals. Farm market participation is booming. Individual restaurants love to source ingredients locally and will pay a premium for them. As a converted factory farmer, I encourage each consumer to make a difference in the way this country produces food.

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