The Courier Electronic Edition

Remarkable advances in agriculture


America's food production and distribution system is a marvel of efficiency, but many consumers are not aware of it.Our system provides a mind-boggling array of choices to consumers in ways that are increasingly better for the environment and utilize fewer and fewer resources per unit.

But what people hear focuses on human obesity, concerns about the use of genetically-modified crops, food being burned for fuel, deforestation around the world and, increasingly, apprehension about large-scale animal and crop agriculture.

Many of today's consumers have little idea how food is grown or raised and what it takes to produce, transport, package, and deliver it to the grocery store or restaurant.

Widespread adoption of modern agricultural techniques benefits society in many ways. Bruce Erickson and Jim Minert from the Purdue Top Farmer Workshop have highlighted the following:

Environmental gains.

Agriculture uses less energy and water, fewer pesticides, and less fertilizer per unit of crop production than 30 years ago.

Aggregate fertilizer use has leveled off in recent years while productivity continued to increase, so we are using less fertilizer per unit of production.

Pesticide use has fallen as biotechnology embedded in crops reduced the need for many applications. Just ask any agricultural retailer about their pesticide business now versus a decade ago.

And soil erosion is roughly half what it was 30 years ago. More improvements are on the horizon.

Increases in productivity.

For the top five U.S. crops -- corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and rice -- the productivity gains in the last 30 years are remarkable.

Yields for each are up substantially and some, such as corn, have increased 50 percent.

Evolving agronomic practices such as better fertilization, precision plant spacing, and pest control explain part of this improvement, but genetic improvements are a big part of this. In addition, genetic modifications have been responsible for some of the greatest benefits to the environment.

The insecticidal genes from Bacillus thuringiensis alone have saved the use of millions of pounds of insecticides. Herbicide-tolerant crops have greatly reduced tillage for weed control, saving fuel and soil, in addition to providing productivity gains.

Keeping up with demand.

The world population continues to grow rapidly and with it comes greater demand for food.

Fifty years ago, the world's population was just 3 billion people. By 1999, the world's population increased by 3 billion and is projected to increase by yet another 3 billion people before mid-century.

Feeding 9 billion consumers around the world presents a tremendous challenge to our food production and marketing system in the years ahead. It's a challenge that can only be met by developing and applying new technology to food production around the world.

Going back to the technology employed in U.S. agriculture 50 years ago may seem desirable to some, but it is simply not capable of producing the food we'll need and would actually represent a step backward with respect to our environment.

The time is now that society understands the benefits and gains that modern agriculture has accomplished and provided to the world's population.

What are many farmers doing this week? Catching up on farm record-keeping and calculating what is to be planted in which field next year, and ordering seed and inputs accordingly.

Wilson is "area leader, Maumee Valley, extension educator, agriculture and natural resources," for The Ohio State University Extension service in Findlay. He can be reached at 419-422-3851 or via e-mail at wilson.26@cfaes.osu.edu.

Wilson's radio reports with Vaun Wickerham can be heard weekdays at 5:40 a.m. and 8:55 a.m. on WFIN, at 5:43 a.m. on WKXA-FM, and at 5:28 a.m. on 106.3 The Fox.