View Full Version : What are farmers doing besides feeding the rest of us?
What are farmers doing besides feeding the rest of us?
A NASA satellite found some odd readings over the United States. Global warming proponents thought they were onto something. They were surprised to find this image was a manifestation of the force of farming in the United States. This satellite image shows the photosynthesis of America's 100 million acre Corn crop. Further research found the US corn crop, at it's peak, produces 40% more oxygen than the Amazon rain forest.
Good news, but a little hyped, here are the articles:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/under-summer-sun-midwest-corn-belt-most-biologically-productive-place-earth-180950460/
https://www.nasa.gov/press/goddard/2014/march/satellite-shows-high-productivity-from-us-corn-belt/
and....
The United States’s Corn Belt is making its own weather
The Great Plains of the central United States—the Corn Belt—is one of the most fertile regions on Earth, producing more than 10 billion bushels of corn each year. It’s also home to some mysterious weather: Whereas the rest of the world has warmed, the region’s summer temperatures have dropped as much as a full degree Celsius, and rainfall has increased up to 35%, the largest spike anywhere in the world. The culprit, according to a new study, isn’t greenhouse gas emissions or sea surface temperature—it’s the corn itself.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/02/america-s-corn-belt-making-its-own-weather
everready73
08-27-19, 13:31
Interesting it produces that much oxygen and can change weather patterns
One of my buddies posted on Facebook badgering all the people making a big deal about the fires in the Amazon and listed the 10% more oxygen stat. I was skeptical at first, but found some info to back it up
FromMyColdDeadHand
08-27-19, 13:52
See we can change the weather!!! is all that the global warming pimps will see.....
The_War_Wagon
08-27-19, 14:22
So we should bulldoze inner cities (and state universities!), and grow more corn on that land, is what I'm reading here! :dance3:
So now not only do we have to kill all the cows and ban jet planes but also stop growing corn.
Cattle/sheep grazing and cutting hay for them also mitigates the fire danger in the prairies.
Growing clover and alfalfa for hay provides food for wild and cultivated bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.
Crops provide feed and shelter for a wide variety of wild animals as well.
Andy
we need to study what places in the US produce the most garbage and pollution per sqft contain everything in them FORCE them to go vegetarian and become self sufficient would be nice to maybe put a huge bubble over them if we could but just some physical walls around them don't want those types spreading after all like in some hollywood movies or just kill everyone in them for being the worst polluters
when they ban meat wonder where the fertilizer is going to come from :)
FromMyColdDeadHand
08-27-19, 15:15
we need to study what places in the US produce the most garbage and pollution per sqft contain everything in them FORCE them to go vegetarian and become self sufficient would be nice to maybe put a huge bubble over them if we could but just some physical walls around them don't want those types spreading after all like in some hollywood movies or just kill everyone in them for being the worst polluters
when they ban meat wonder where the fertilizer is going to come from :)
People...
So we should bulldoze inner cities (and state universities!), and grow more corn on that land, is what I'm reading here! :dance3:
Well it would substantially reduce the amount of wasted oxygen! :D
What are farmers doing? Collecting welfare checks while proclaiming the moral benefits of free markets, small government, and rugged individualism.
You obviously know no farmers.
People...
ya know I saw a article that allowed you to use relatives for that ? so reckon you are correct
So should the weed growers be happy or frightened? Where’s their “glow”?
FromMyColdDeadHand
08-27-19, 23:55
So should the weed growers be happy or frightened? Where’s their “glow”?
Weed, at least for CO, is grown inside. It is a major electricity user- huge energy density. Major driver of GHG in CO.
You obviously know no farmers.
Farmers come in all shapes and sizes.
The majority of the subsidy money goes to corporate farmers rather than the small 'family' farmer many envision.
Fact: The Farm-Subsidy System Primarily Helps Large Agricultural Producers. The farm-subsidy system provides limited assistance to small family farms. In 2016, small family farms accounted for 89.9 percent of all farms, yet received 27 percent of commodity payments and 17 percent of crop insurance indemnities.
Commercial farms, which include the largest family farms, accounted for just 10.1 percent of all farms, yet received 73 percent of commodity payments and 83 percent of crop insurance indemnities.
Large-scale farms (large and very large family farms) accounted for just 2.9 percent of all farms, yet received over a third of the commodity payments (35 percent) and almost half of the crop insurance indemnities
Fact: Farm Households Have Much Greater Income and Wealth than All U.S. Households. Even looking at the income and wealth of all farm households, not just those receiving farm subsidies, the income and wealth numbers are staggering. In 2016, the median household income for all farms was $76,000, which is 29 percent greater than the median income for all U.S. households ($59,039).
The median farm household wealth for all farms was $897,000, which is nine times greater than the median household wealth for all U.S. households ($97,300) U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, “America’s Diverse Family Farms: 2017 Edition.”
Link to the article quoted and see it illustrated by graphs: https://www.heritage.org/agriculture/report/what-you-should-know-about-who-receives-farm-subsidies
FromMyColdDeadHand
08-28-19, 09:36
The subsidy numbers need to be based on either acerage or some performance metric, not number of farms.
Do the income numbers include non-farm income- ie someone works off the farm while the farm is either a part time job for them or a full time job for a second adult.
On wealth, you really need to compare it to other small businesses, not individuals. Something with the similar investment level.
On the OP and corn changing weather, it sounds like we need to plant corn in the Brazilian rainforest.
On the OP and corn changing weather, it sounds like we need to plant corn in the Brazilian rainforest.
Lol! As you probably intended to hint at, you have burn some acreage first to clear the jungle brush before you can plant corn. Oh wait..
MountainRaven
08-28-19, 13:00
Just a reminder to all those who say they think chopping down the Amazon to grow corn is a perfect solution:
US corn production produces up to 40% more oxygen than the Amazon at its peak, which is (specifically) in July. That means there are 11 months out of the year when the numbers are not up to 40% more than the Amazon. And furthermore, y'all are forgetting that approximately no photosynthesis is being produced by corn when there is no corn growing (from approximately October to April, depending on location). The Amazon is pretty much always generating approximately the same amount of oxygen per square mile of rain forest.
FromMyColdDeadHand
08-28-19, 13:35
Hello, per square kilometer, nit mile in Brazil. ;)
Plus, I think you could grow it year round....
I was just pretty much joking, I just love to twist some of the logic on all of the stuff. Based on the potential oxygen deficit implied with the burning of the Brazilian rainforest, You know there has to be some idiot out there who is the very least has done web searches to see about stockpiling those consumer grade cans of O2 that they sell.
Just a reminder to all those who say they think chopping down the Amazon to grow corn is a perfect solution:
US corn production produces up to 40% more oxygen than the Amazon at its peak, which is (specifically) in July. That means there are 11 months out of the year when the numbers are not up to 40% more than the Amazon. And furthermore, y'all are forgetting that approximately no photosynthesis is being produced by corn when there is no corn growing (from approximately October to April, depending on location). The Amazon is pretty much always generating approximately the same amount of oxygen per square mile of rain forest.
And the corn crop requires tremendous external inputs (in the form of fertilizer, fuel for farm equipment, irrigation, pest and weed control, etc.), where the Amazon uses essentially none.
Just reading an article on AP news about family farmers in Iowa upset with Trump for not INCREASING the amount of ethanol mandated to be included into gasoline.
This is an indirect subsidy. If not forced by govt regulation the refiners would just deliver regular gas with zero ethanol because petroleum is cheaper. That is, ethanol is not competitive as a fuel in a free market. Without govt mandated ethanol levels there would be far less demand for corn and prices would plummet making corn even more affordable for livestock feed.
So even Trump supporters in Iowa are so ingrained into govt handouts to them that they get disgruntled when the forced buying of their product is not increased enough. God forbid that such a artificial demand for their product ever be eliminated.
I am surround by small and large farming families and there are many ways farmers become dependent on govt intervention, not just direct subsidies. I think it varies greatly by crop/stock and region though.
Just a reminder to all those who say they think chopping down the Amazon to grow corn is a perfect solution:
US corn production produces up to 40% more oxygen than the Amazon at its peak, which is (specifically) in July. That means there are 11 months out of the year when the numbers are not up to 40% more than the Amazon. And furthermore, y'all are forgetting that approximately no photosynthesis is being produced by corn when there is no corn growing (from approximately October to April, depending on location). The Amazon is pretty much always generating approximately the same amount of oxygen per square mile of rain forest.
This is why I had this line in my OP: Good news, but a little hyped, here are the articles:
The_War_Wagon
08-29-19, 15:39
Bet they DON'T subsidize TOBACCO anymore! :rolleyes:
Bet they DON'T subsidize TOBACCO anymore! :rolleyes:
Hold on there: https://www.ewg.org/agmag/2018/05/thank-you-subsidizing-smoking
Ever wonder how come so many drinks have high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar and why we pay 3 times as much as the rest of the world for sugar?
The sugar program illustrates why politicians cannot be trusted to competently manage anything more complex than a lemonade stand. In 1816, Congress imposed high tariffs on sugar imports in part to prop up the value of slaves in Louisiana. In 1832, a committee of Boston’s leaders issued a pamphlet denouncing sugar tariffs as a scam on millions of low-paid American workers to benefit fewer than 500 plantation owners.
In the 1890s, Congress first abolished and then re-imposed the sugar tariff, spurring a boom-bust that ravaged Cuba, spurring an uprising that helped drag the United States into the Spanish-American War.
Despite perpetual aid, the number of sugar growers has declined by almost 50% in recent decades to fewer than 6,000.
Read the whole article: https://fee.org/articles/why-americans-pay-triple-the-world-price-for-sugar/
Here's the rule:
When white people get it, it's not welfare, it's "economic assistance."
When white people act out, it's not a riot, it's a "grass-roots demonstration. "
Here's the rule:
When white people get it, it's not welfare, it's "economic assistance."
When white people act out, it's not a riot, it's a "grass-roots demonstration. "
What?
What?
Sure. When Black Lives Matter burns an effigy, they're a "violent liberal mob."
When the Tea Party burns an effigy, they're "exercising their First Amendment rights. "
When wall street bankers get federal money, it's "job creation."
When working class folks get federal money, it's "socialism."
You have to get with the perspective.
Sure. When Black Lives Matter burns an effigy, they're a "violent liberal mob."
When the Tea Party burns an effigy, they're "exercising their First Amendment rights. "
When wall street bankers get federal money, it's "job creation."
When working class folks get federal money, it's "socialism."
You have to get with the perspective.
Nah. Not everyone thinks like that, man.
I don’t like anyone getting handouts, bailed out, etc except the truly downtrodden- and the. I want it to be a “hand up” not a hand out type of assistance.
I don’t believe it should come from the government at all. It should be individuals, churches, non profit organizations, etc. The federal government dicks everything up.
I’m okay with anyone burning and effigy. Just so long as they aren’t actually rioting and burning shit down or assaulting people who have different opinions/religion/skin pigment/etc than them.
The popular thing for the fed.gov, media and extremists to do these days is to divide people among any possible line and hope to take advantages of the fall out to gain ever more control of everyone.
I’m not going to play the identity politics game but there is definitely one side of the isle that is trying to divide and conquer the citizens of this country more than the other side of the isle is currently.
Can’t rant on hand outs without including the biggest of them all: allowing pharma/hospitals to operate in a manner that is illegal, resulting in massive increases of costs to consumers and destruction of smaller competitors. Just one example, no other industry would be allowed to charge people after the service is provided without a reasonable estimate beforehand. Or charge cash customers much more than insurance customers. Mechanics and construction contractors are much more carefully controlled. Or, that it would be illegal to buy the exact same product from overseas for a fraction of the cost (drugs).
I am against any handouts, and tariffs should be used to generate federal revenue off imports, not to protect a handful of businesses. But farm subsidies and such are peanuts (lol) compared to govt protection of big pharma and corporate health care through not enforcing commercial and anti-trust law and heavy regulation and “forced consumption” of complex insurance mandates. I don’t know any individual docs whiling benefit from this at all, in fact the independent practices I knew have closed down and moved into one of the 3 major hospitals in this region due to recent imposed burdens on small practices.
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