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October 1, 2009 Issue 227-13-20
Sustainability expert calls for return to farm culture By James Pusey Ames Tribune
Less than 1 percent of Americans are fulltime farmers and the average age of those individuals is around 57, said Richard Heinberg, a leading expert in sustainability education. "We don't even know who's going to be growing our food in 20 years," Heinberg said. Heinberg, Senior Fellow in Residence at the Post Carbon Institute, has written eight books about sustainability and gave a lecture Thursday evening in the Sun Room of the Iowa State University Memorial Union. His lecture, titled "The Food and Farming Transition: Toward a Post Carbon Food System," focused on the future of agriculture. Heinberg said the United States will need to transition to a more ecological food system in order to provide for its growing population. Fossil fuels are at the root of the problem, he said, as it takes about 350 gallons of oil to feed the average American for a year. He also said it takes seven calories of energy from fossil fuels to produce just one calorie of food.
"We're actually spending seven times more energy on food than we get back," Heinberg said. "Altogether, the food system uses great amounts of energy." Heinberg said it is almost certain the United States will face oil supply problems soon, as oil production in America peaked around 1970 and oil discoveries peaked around 1930. He said even though there have been several oil discoveries in the past several weeks, they won't be largely significant in the long run. "The world's easy, cheap oil is gone," he said. "What's left is going to be difficult to find and difficult to extract." The solution to the problem, Heinberg said, is a switch from industrialized agriculture to ecological agriculture, with several key components:
Relocalization of food sytems Grow food locally for local consumption. No more shipping food out of the state for processing, then back in for consumption. Transport food with our most fuel-efficient meth-
Bio eConference set for Dec. 1 AMES, Iowa -- Agriculture’s contribution to carbon footprinting and greenhouse gasses is pointed out in headlines from the Wall Street Journal to Successful Farming. But 12 Midwest universities are collaborating to host a virtual conference that rewrites the headlines and suggests that agriculture can clean the planet. In a collaborative effort the universities are offering “Growing the Bioeconomy: Solutions for Sustainability” on Dec. 1, 2009 to share how that might be done.
Mahoney State Park
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"We don't even know who's going to be growing our food in 20 years'' Richard Heinberg a leading expert in sustainability education ods: ship and rail. Stop building highways and start rebuilding the country's vast rail network. Host and participate in local farmer's markets.
Energy from the farm Implement solar, wind and micro-hydro energy production. Collect biomass from agricultural waste produced on the farm.
Changes in diet Reduce the production of packaged and processed foods. Reduce overall meat consumption. Return to eating foods in season. Heinberg said the focus of the 20th century was urbanization, but with gas prices on the rise he expects to see a "reruralization" of America over the next 100 years. "Look out Iowa," Heinberg said, "you may have lots of folks wanting to take up residence here." He said before a reform in agriculture can take place, some changes in government policy will need to occur, including land reform to make space for new farmers and financial incentives to encourage farming. Aaron Rosenberg, a freshman from Urbandale, attended the lecture because he was interested in the subject and said Heinberg's lecture alerted him to a number of sustainability issues. "It was kind of eye-opening," Rosenberg said. "It's obvious we're going to have to change our lifestyles if we want a sustainable future." Heinberg said even though the task of agricultural reform is ambitious, he doesn't doubt that the next generation will find a way to make it happen.
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average Year Ago 4 Wks Ago Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$97.32 82.47 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . . .117.70 110.62 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111.74 100.39 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .160.67 142.15 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68.48 46.80 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . .42.53 * Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .76.53 52.31 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .96.62 91.25 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269.62 250.27
9/18/09
83.42 110.53 99.49 142.04 50.92 40.00 56.91 91.25 241.57
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.40 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.27 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11.41 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .7.98 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . . .*
3.94 3.11 10.48 5.12 2.09
3.56 3.02 9.46 4.61 2.01
* * *
* 82.50 *
Hay (per ton) Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . .190.00 Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . . .77.50 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . .85.00 * No market.
Look inside this issue for these headlines...
Threads across Nebraska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-7 Fall Irrigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-10 Pork Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 • Country Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3, 5 • Washington Report . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 • Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
• Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13, 15 • Heartland Cattleman . . . . . . . . . .14 • Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16-19
For daily agriculture news, updates and local happenings, visit the Heartland Express website at www.myfarmandranch.com