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USDA’s latest census of agriculture: not an encouraging picture

Food Politics

million (down 7% from 2017) Average size: 463 acres (up 5%) Total farmland: 880 million acres of farmland (down 2%), accounting for 39% of all U.S. Percent of farmland used for oilseeds or grains: 32% Percent of farmland used for beef cattle: 40% Average age of farmers: 58.1 (up

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Weekend reading: Farm Action’s analysis and policy recommendations

Food Politics

The current situation: Most American farmland acreage is dedicated to animal feed and fuel production. Exports fell and imports rose for vegetables, fruits, melons, and key food grains. million acres of higher value fruit, vegetables, and melons would be needed to generate $32.9B of US farmland. of US farmland.

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The Farm Safety Net: A Closer Look at ARC and PLC

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

million acres enrolled in ARC and PLC, representing only 27 percent of all US farmland. Furthermore, to enroll in ARC or PLC, a farm must have base acres enrolled with USDAs Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers the programs, as one of these covered commodities. million acres enrolled in ARC and PLC in 2023, 85.5

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Could Dry-Farming Wheat in San Diego Seed a Local Grain Economy?

Civil Eats

At night, and on weekends, he’s a serious sourdough bread baker—and an aspiring grain farmer. After looking in vain for an affordable local wheat source, Ellis decided to experiment with dry-farming the grain himself on a small piece of land 45 miles north of San Diego, in rural Valley Center.

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Southern Black Farmers Sow Rice and Reconciliation

Civil Eats

Created on Madagascar and practiced in about 60 countries today, SRI has been shown to increase grain yields, sometimes twofold. Per calorie, though, rice produces fewer emissions than most staple foods, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy, and even other grains like wheat and corn. acres are reserved for vegetables.

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Transforming the Delta

Food Environment and Reporting Network

If we took 5 percent of the acres and diverted them into almost anything that wasnt a commodity, its literally an additional $2.5 Over the next two decades, tractors, mechanical harvesters, and chemical herbicides made sharecropping obsoleteyou no longer needed much labor to farm cotton or grains. today it is less than 2 percent.

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Opinion: The US Doesn’t Grow Enough Food – But We Could

Modern Farmer

Despite having nearly a billion acres of prime farmland and a population of only 330 million people, the U.S. agriculture system, often claimed to be able to feed the world, can no longer feed its own population. The number of U.S.

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