The Farm of the Future

32 Pages·2010·1.36 MB·English

from the President
V
ASABE and the Future
T
his issue of Resourceis about the renewable energy resources.” Ultimately, how we brand our-
future of agriculture, so let’s talk selves needs input from you, the member. What do you think
about the future of ASABE. ASABE is, or should be?
Universities have adapted If we position ourselves properly, then our future is
extremely well to the changes that have bright. As the world continues to demand more from the V
happened in industry, and the academic earth’s limited resources, we have a huge challenge, and a
world has a very bright future. In particu- huge opportunity. A recent issue of Friday Notes, published
lar, student enrollment is increasing in ag by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology
and bio engineering programs. That’s ([email protected]), contained an article about the
good news, because these bright young people are our future. future. Here is an excerpt:
However, if we do not attract them to our Society, then “The global nature of agriculture is not in the future, it is
ASABE is doomed to extinction. now, and the sub-continent nation of India may be the best
I mention this because we are not seeing a concomitant example of this. During the next two decades, India will
increase in our membership. To address this, ASABE needs to become the most populous country, and that means consumer
provide a value-added service to these students that will carry markets will continue to grow and agricultural conditions in
over into their careers, providing them with a reason to join India will have major implications for the world. Forecasts
ASABE and to continue their memberships. We must market show that India will surpass China in population sometime
our Society to attract this next generation of students. The near the 2030 mark when it reaches nearly one and a half bil-
broad and diverse discipline that we call agricultural and bio- lion residents. Those millions need to eat ... ”
logical engineering is changing, and we must adapt, just as ... and they will need shelter, water, and energy. ASABE
the academic world has adapted to changes in industry. has a major role to play as our world continues to grow. The
To this end, past-president Jim Dooley is working with students who are graduating from our universities will
A
the E-05 committee to develop the branding message for become the innovators who define the future. How will
ASABE that will move us forward and carry us into the ASABE serve them, and how will we support their work?
future. At our recent Board of Trustees meeting, there were In the meantime, don’t forget about our “Just One” cam-
several unofficial discussions on this subject. For example, paign. It’s an easy way to help our Society grow now to meet
past-president Bob Gustafson defined us as “engineers who the demands of the future.
deal with agricultural and biological systems.” Trustee Chad
Yagow suggested that our society is “the pre-eminent Ronald L. McAllister
resource concerning expertise in food, fiber, water, and [email protected]
A
events calendar
ASABE CONFERENCES AND INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS ASABE ENDORSEDEVENTS
To receive more information about ASABE conferences and meetings,
2011
call ASABE at [phone] or e-mail [email protected].
March 2-4 NFBA Frame Building Expo.Indianapolis, Indiana,
2011
USA.Contact Dan Weinstock, [email protected].
Jan.5-7 Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference.
March 14-16 BioPro Expo.Atlanta, Georgia, USA.Visit
Held in conjunction with AgConnect Expo 2011.
www.bioproexpo.org.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
April 18-20 6th CIGR Section VI International Symposium:
Aug.7-10 ASABE AnnualInternational Meeting.
Towards a Sustainable Food Chain.Nantes,
Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
France.Contact Da-Wen Sun, [email protected].
Sept.18-21 International Symposium on Erosion and
Oct.8-12 2011 GSA Annual Meeting–Archean to
Landscape Evolution Conference.Joint
Anthropocene.Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
conference with AEG.Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
2 January/February 2011 RESOURCE
January/February 2011
Vol.18 No. 1
Magazine Staff:Donna Hull, Publisher,
[email protected]; Sue Mitrovich, Managing
Editor, [email protected]; Glenn Laing,
Engineering&TechnologyforaSustainableWorld January/February 2011
Contributing Editor, [email protected];
Melissa Miller, Professional Opportunities
and Production Editor, [email protected];
Sandy Rutter, Professional Listings,
FEATURES
[email protected].
Editorial Board:Chair Rafael Garcia,
USDA-ARS; Secretary/Vice Chair Brian 4 The First Word:The Farm of the Future Tony Grift,guest editor
Steward, Iowa State University; Past Chair
Suranjan Panigrahi, Purdue University. 5 Farms of the Future in Revitalized Rural Communities
Thomas Brumm, Iowa State University;
Victor Duraj, University of California, Davis; Tom Vilsack
Tony Grift, University of Illinois; Christopher
Henry, University of Nebraska; William Reck, 6 The European Farm of Tomorrow
USDA-NRCS; John Yagow, John Deere
Simon Blackmore and Katerina Apostolidi
Harvester Works; Jeong Yeol Yoon,
University of Arizona. 7 Preserving Our Agricultural Capital Howard Buffett
Resource:Engineering & Technology
for a Sustainable World 8 Out of the Rut Len Corzine
(ISSN 1076-3333) (USPS 009-560) is
published six times per year—
January/February, March/April, May/June, 9 A Bavarian Perspective Markus Demmel
July/August, September/October,
November/December—by the American 10 Adapting to Climate Change Otto C.Doering III
Society of Agricultural and Biological
Engineers (ASABE), 2950 Niles Road,
St.Joseph, MI 49085-9659, USA. 11 Precision Agriculture for Small Growers Reza Ehsani
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
12 Some Notes on Future Farming
Resource,2950 Niles Road, St.Joseph, MI
49085-9659, USA. Periodical postage is P.L.Gautam,C.Thomson Jacob,G.Venkataramani,and Y.Singh
paid at St. Joseph, MI, USA, and additional
post offices. 13 The Future Starts Now Dick Godwin
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Contact ASABE order
department, 269-932-7004. 14 The Genetics + Management Paradigm Graeme Hammer
COPYRIGHT 2011 by American Society of
Agricultural and Biological Engineers. 15 The Future Demands Efficiency Jerry L.Hatfield
Permission to reprint articles available on
request. Reprints can be ordered in large 16 A Philosophical Perspective Charles N.Merfield
quantities for a fee. Contact Donna Hull,
269-932-7026. Statements in this publica- 17 Down Home and High Tech Clay Mitchell
tion represent individual opinions.
Resource:Engineering & Technology for a 18 The Future of Specialty Crop Farming Francis J.Pierce
Sustainable Worldand ASABE assume no
responsibility for statements and opinions
expressed by contributors. Views advanced 19 Skyfarming:An Alternative to Horizontal Crops Joachim Sauerborn
in the editorials are those of the contributors
and do not necessarily represent the official 20 A Report from 25 Years Hence John Schueller
position of ASABE.
ON THE COVER 21 The Challenges of Farming on Marginal Land Christopher Wathes
Author and illustrator Simon 22 Biomass Supply Chains for a Bioenergy Future
Blackmore envisioned and designed a
future farm machine, called “Scamp,” Heather Youngs and Caroline Taylor
for AGCO. On the cover, Scamp is
weeding, and on this contents page, 23 Guidance Assistance for Improving Productivity Ian Yule
Scamp is shown at right (top to
bottom) seeding, harvesting, and
scouting. 24 Challenges and Opportunities in India Usha Barwale Zehr
ERRATA 25 Traditional Livelihoods in Rapid Transitions Robert S.Zeigler
In the November/December 2010
issue, the cover photo was incorrectly
UPDATE
attributed to Paul J. Funk. It was
taken by Tye L. Lightfoot, supervisory
engineering technician, USDA-ARS 26 New Buzz on Vertical Farming
Southwestern Cotton Ginning
Research Laboratory, Mesilla Park,
N.M. The Visual Challenge photos on DEPARTMENTS
page 21 were submitted by A.J. Both.
His name mistakenly printed as A.J. 2
From the President/Events Calendar
Booth. Resourceregrets the errors.
28
Professional Opportunities
American Society of
Agricultural and 29 Professional Listings
Biological Engineers
2950 Niles Road 30 Feeding the World
St. Joseph, MI 49085-9659, USA
269.429.0300, fax [phone] Success Feels Good to Jimmy Butt
[email protected], www.asabe.org Kathy Zerler
first
lastvword
The Farm of the Future
IInn mmyy hhoommee ccoouunnttrryy ooff TThhee NNeetthheerrllaannddss,, wwee hhaavvee aann farming also has another face. Agriculture is largely responsible
eexxpprreessssiioonn:: “One fool may ask more questions than ten wise for a 6,000-square-mile hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico due
men can answer.” Questions regarding the future of agriculture are to agrochemical runoff from the Mississippi Basin. This same
so broad, and concern such complex issues, that no single person, region produces huge amounts of corn-based ethanol, which con-
no matter how wise, can grasp them all. Since I have always sumes massive amounts of aquifer-borne water. The resulting
regarded answers containing the words “trust,” “faith,” or “hope” industry thrives only by virtue of a $7 billion annual subsidy, and
as rather unsatisfying, I wondered if I could simply ask people whether corn ethanol is net energy positive is still under debate.
who possess some factual knowledge to offer their opinions on As a society, we have chosen to accept these levels of pollu-
this broad topic. tion and inefficiency because they seem congruent with our high
I was somewhat surprised that people wiser than I are not that standard of living, and because many of us are simply unaware of
hard to find. This did not surprise my wife, which, the real costs. However, if we expect to maintain
in turn, did not surprise me. Fortunately, most of our quality of life, then change is needed. We
the wise men and women in our agricultural glob- have made our agricultural system work, but not
al village were happy to respond to my request. I necessarily efficiently, and without putting a real-
sensed some mild hesitation from several of my istic price on the required ecological resources. In
techie colleagues, because ag engineers are mod- addition, we need to respond to serious looming
est about their knowledge, but after some gentle challenges, such as climate change, the water
persuasion they all delivered. The question that I crisis, the end of oil, and global population
asked them was simple: “Please share your per- growth.
ceived view regarding the role of agriculture in the If we have become complacent, then under-
world in the future.” Their answers resulted in the standably so. Technology has elevated our stan-
issue you are currently reading. dard of living to unprecedented levels, and this
Early humans morphed from widely scattered quality of life is so well established that it feels
hunter/gatherers into settled social creatures. permanent. For most of us, overabundance of
Discovering the secret of converting grain into food is a bigger health threat than food scarcity,
beer probably facilitated that transition. and few of us have a direct connection to the land.
Subsequently, farming has provided food, clothing, Today, more Americans live on golf courses than
Tony Grift, Guest Editor
energy, and building materials for eons, an honor- live on farms.
able profession indeed! However, nowadays, we But the costs to the planet, and to our fossil
seem to be taking our food, and by association its producers, for fuel supply, have been great. Can we expect technology to save the
granted. In fact, the young generation of Future Farmers of day, yet again, without that once inexhaustible supply of black
America prefers to no longer be known by that name. It is sad that gold? Will agriculture be able to produce enough food and fuel to
these kids feel the need to defend themselves against a perceived sustain ten billion people in 2050? Are bio-energy crops the
stigma surrounding farming. In addition, quite a few university ag answer to fossil fuel depletion? Should we encourage development
departments have removed the word “Agricultural” from their of solar, wind, and water energy, or should we put our trust in more
names. Outside of our profession, how many people know who exotic solutions like ITER, the attempt to create sustained nuclear
Norm Borlaug was and what the Green Revolution accomplished? fusion? So many questions, and no oracle in sight.
And this indifference to agriculture is happening in a country In the meantime, the authors in this issue will shed some light
where people will drive four hours to get their hands on a McRib on the future of what Resourcereaders hold dear: agriculture in all
sandwich, where small-town grocery stores stock fresh produce its shapes and forms. I am in great debt to these authors for their
from around the world, and where obesity has surpassed smoking wise and informed submissions, and my special thanks go out to
as the main cause of preventable death. the ASABE editorial staff—Sue Mitrovich, Glenn Laing, and
America’s obsession with food should logically imply that its Melissa Miller—for their outstanding work.
producers would be revered, respected, and at the center of public
attention. They are not, of course, and perhaps this is because Enjoy!
Tony E. Grift is an associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, USA, [email protected].
4 January/February 2011 RESOURCE
Farms of the Future in
Revitalized Rural Communities
By Tom Vilsack
The Obama Administration and the FFaarrmmss ooff aallll ssiizzeess sshhoouulldd bbee aabbllee ttoo nneeeerriinngg——bbeeccaauussee iitt’’ss aa ppoowweerrffuull
USDA are committed to building a strong aacccceessss pprroocceessssiinngg,, ddiissttrriibbuuttiioonn,, ttooooll tthhaatt ccaann bboooosstt aaggrriiccuullttuurraall pprroo--
agricultural economy to support our pro- sshhiippppiinngg,, aanndd ssaalleess iinn tthheeiirr rreeggiioonn,, dduuccttiivviittyy aanndd bbuuiilldd pprroossppeerriittyy ffoorr
ducers and their work to provide a reli- ttoo sseellll ddiirreeccttllyy ttoo ccoonnssuummeerrss oorr ttoo pprroodduucceerrss aarroouunndd tthhee wwoorrlldd..
able, affordable, safe, and abundant food llaarrggee iinnssttiittuuttiioonnaall bbuuyyeerrss.. At the same Emerging technologies hold the promise
supply for Americans. time, we are working to expand export of creating crops that tolerate drought, tox-
But the dynamics are changing. In the markets so that we can continue to provide icity, disease, and salinity. Over the last
past 40 years, the United States has lost high-quality agricultural products to few decades, new biotech varieties of corn
more than one million farmers and ranch- nations around the world. Increased broad- have dramatically reduced the need for
ers. WWee hhaavvee aa ““ddiissaappppeeaarriinngg mmiidd-- band internet access will help facilitate chemical inputs of herbicide and insecti-
ddllee””——mmeeaanniinngg tthhaatt mmoosstt ooff oouurr access to these markets while also provid- cide, and there is more progress to be
ffaarrmmss aarree eeiitthheerr vveerryy llaarrggee oorr hhaavvee ing producers with up-to-the-minute com- made.
aannnnuuaall pprrooffiittss ooff lleessss tthhaann $$22,,550000.. modity and weather information to make The USDA is working toward the day
Fewer than half of our nation’s farmers and the best decisions for their operations. when farmers and landowners are rewarded
ranchers list farming as their for taking care of the environ-
primary occupation. Less and ment. Markets for water, wet-
less family farm income comes lands preservation, carbon, and
from farming. habitat enhancements will
That is why, even as we EEmmeerrggiinngg tteecchhnnoollooggiieess expand to offer new income
work to maintain a strong farm and investment opportunities
hhoolldd tthhee pprroommiissee ......
safety net for operations of all for the farms of the future. Our
sizes, we are also working to research programs are working
build “farms of the future” that to quantify the environmental
are more productive than ever, with access Investing in research will also play a benefits of natural resource management—
to new income sources. And we are work- critical role in our efforts to help build a building the capacity, analytical tools, and
ing to build a thriving companion econo- stronger agricultural economy. We will metrics necessary to creating accurate and
my to complement production agriculture help advance biotech products that better verifiable markets for ecosystem and con-
in rural America. tolerate drought, toxicity, disease, pests, servation. We recently ramped up our
In addition to agricultural produc- and salinity. And we will continue to pro- Ecosystem Markets Office to help farmers
tion, tthhee ffaarrmm ooff tthhee ffuuttuurree mmuusstt duce high yields while limiting inputs, and investors take full advantage of these
pprroodduuccee rreenneewwaabbllee eenneerrggyy ttoo ffuueell moving toward a more sustainable opportunities.
oouurr ttrraannssppoorrttaattiioonn ssyysstteemm aanndd pprroo-- American agricultural economy. Much of OOvveerr tthhee llaasstt 7700 yyeeaarrss,, tthhee aavveerr--
vviiddee eelleeccttrriicciittyy ttoo oouurr hhoommeess aanndd this technology will have an even greater aaggee AAmmeerriiccaann ffaarrmmeerr hhaass ggoonnee
ffaaccttoorriieess.. The USDA is working to cre- impact for the world’s poorest farmers. ffrroomm ffeeeeddiinngg aabboouutt 2200 ppeeooppllee ttoo
ate a diverse renewable energy economy The USDA’s 2011 research budget ffeeeeddiinngg aabboouutt 115555.. The USDA wants to
that functions in every corner of the improve on this incredible productivity
reflects this commitment, requesting an
nation. We are helping to develop private and strengthen farm income by investing
increase of nearly $40 million over the
businesses that use innovative technolo- to ensure that American farms of the
enacted 2010 budget. And we are working
gies like solar, wind, biofuels, biomass, future remain world leaders in providing a
to transform our in-house and external
methane, and geothermal energy genera- reliable, affordable, safe, and abundant
research programs. Using the National
tion. Small towns across the nation will be food supply. When we are successful in
Institute of Food and Agriculture as a kind
home to biofuel plants. And we will create our efforts, we will have also built a thriv-
of research startup company, we will
good jobs that can’t be exported. ing economy in rural America, so that the
rebuild our competitive grants program
Farms of the future must have better farms of the future—and rural America in
from the ground up to focus on priority
access to both domestic and international general—remain the best places in this
areas that generate real results.
markets. Last year, the USDA launched nation to live, work, and raise a family.
For example, tthhee UUSSDDAA wwoorrkkss ttoo
“Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” to
pprroommoottee aaggrriiccuullttuurraall bbiiootteecchhnnoolloo--
promote local and regional food systems. Tom Vilsack is the current U.S. Secretary
ggyy——wwiitthh aanndd wwiitthhoouutt ggeenneettiicc eennggii--
of Agriculture.
RESOURCE January/February 2011 5
The European Farm of Tomorrow
By Simon Blackmore and Katerina Apostolidi
FFaarrmmiinngg iinn tthhee EEuurrooppeeaann UUnniioonnhas FFMMIISS aanndd EEUU ssttaannddaarrddss Germany and addresses such issues as the
become more complicated than it used to To achieve this goal, FutureFarm has amount of time that farmers spend on
be. The social demand for environmental- proposed the Farm Management administrative tasks (paperwork, meet-
ly friendly farming resulted in the new Information System (FMIS) as a core ings, etc.), their adoption of precision
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), component. The FMIS can provide whole- farming techniques, their use of automated
which, despite significant variations in farm management by integrating data col- systems, and their attitude toward infor-
each EU member state, requires that farm- lection, operations scheduling, record mation systems.
ers are subsidized based on their compli- keeping, and all other management func-
ance with regulations and standards. The tions into a single, comprehensive system. WWhhaatt aabboouutt rroobboottiiccss??
volume of their production is no longer a The FMIS will also provide information to The FutureFarm project has investi-
criterion. farmers about applicable regulations and gated some aspects of robotics, too. The
In addition to the common EU regula- standards. question posed was whether centralized
tions, each member state has its own regu- Scientists working for FutureFarm management of robots would improve the
lations, and even a local jurisdiction can have allocated significant effort to trans- economic efficiency of a farm. The result
impose rules concerning farming. The late rules and regulations within the EU (at was that, by adopting specific fleet-man-
same is true for the different standards and both the local and EU level) from plain agement algorithms and techniques, sig-
guidelines, which then require cross-com- text into a machine-readable format, so nificant savings could be achieved.
pliance between them. How can a farmer that the rules can be shared across plat- The vision of robots working on a
be compliant with all these rules in order forms and integrated into the FMIS. farm is not too far into the future. In July
to receive subsidy support? Specifically, the researchers 2009, the FutureFarm project demonstrat-
How can a farmer even find have defined how the informa- ed this by sponsoring the Robot Field
out what the rules are? tion should be structured and Event in The Netherlands, which brought
FutureFarm is an EU stored electronically, the infor- in agricultural robots from Denmark,
project that addresses this mation architecture of the Germany, and the United Kingdom to
problem, among others. FMIS, the architecture of the show what they could do.
FutureFarm is an EU-funded published rules, and the com- In addition to the topics already men-
three-year research project munication between them. The tioned, the FutureFarm project has
(2008-2010), involving 15 working prototype was pre- addressed broad issues of development,
partners from ten EU coun- sented at the most recent including public awareness, compliance
tries. The project consortium Agritechnica trade fair in with recognized management standards,
has proposed that the inte- Germany and can be viewed at socio-economic impacts, energy efficien-
gration of information and http://test.futurefarm.eu. This cy, and biofuels. The resulting technology
communication technologies (ICT) in prototype is open source, so that anyone will take the already extensive experience
European farming is a key requirement that interested can use it. in precision farming research and inte-
will allow European farmers to gather, ana- grate it into farmer-based prototype stems.
lyze, report, and utilize the data coming OOtthheerr iimmppoorrttaanntt aassppeeccttss The main outputs from the FutureFarm
from inside as well as outside their farms. FutureFarm has addressed a number project are structured in the form of
Modern farms already use ICT, don’t of other important aspects regarding the 55deliverables from eight work packages,
they? Yes, but it’s not fully integrated with application of ICT in agriculture. A speci- which are available at www.futurefarm.eu.
both on-farm data and off-farm guidelines. fication for the ideal farm portal has
On a modern farm, there is software for already been produced, and a prototype is ASABE member Simon Blackmore is a
professor at the Center for Research and
sensors, software for controlling the trac- under development. The development
Technology, Thessaly, Greece, and
tor, and software for production forecast- process includes feedback from farmers project manager of FutureFarm,
ing, but of course, no software for rule and other stakeholders. www.FutureFarm.eu.
compliance. FutureFarm’s main goal is to A survey of farmers’ assessment of
Katerina Apostolidi is the project admin-
find a common language between all these information systems and precision farm-
istrator based at CERETETH in Greece.
pieces of software, so that they can ing has also been conducted. This survey
exchange information with each other. covers Denmark, Greece, Finland, and
6 January/February 2011 RESOURCE
Preserving Our Agricultural Capital
By Howard Buffett
FFoorr aa bbuussiinneessss ttoo ssuurrvviivvee,, iitt mmuusstt not simply depend on bigger machines, that it is irresponsible to use technology
aannttiicciippaattee where it should be in the better varieties, or stacked traits. I could simply as a convenience. We must focus
future, and it must adapt to changing farm for the rest of my life in central on best practices, especially where tech-
demands. Agriculture is no different. If a Illinois with little concern about produc- nology has driven poor behavior or com-
business has shareholders, a farmer has tivity, but that is short-term thinking. The placency.
soil. Without healthy, productive soil, you optimum production system must recog-
cannot collect any future dividends. nize nature’s benefits by combining past AA ccoommbbiinnaattiioonn ooff ssoolluuttiioonnss
Over the past two centuries, we have lessons with future opportunities. Improved varieties, genetic break-
lost 50 percent of our native soil’s organic In addition to soil, water is our other throughs, strip-till, no-till, cover crops,
matter as a result of tillage-induced form of agricultural capital. Since 40 per- and multiple crop rotations combined with
erosion—not a very good track record. cent of our agricultural production is a equipment efficiencies and innovations
However, we have also made great strides result of irrigation on 18 percent of our will provide many of the answers. But we
in production. We produce five times the arable land, better water use is essential. also need to consider the benefits of bio-
amount of crops on 20 percent less land Think of it this way: 18 percent of arable logical approaches and synthetic inputs.
than we used in 1930. Additionally, we use land represents about 2.4 million square The best systems will likely combine
36 percent less fertilizer to grow corn than miles, which is equal to the combined size aspects from a variety of practices and
we used 30 years ago. If we tried to of the nine countries that comprise the philosophies.
achieve today’s production levels using Amazon basin! Therefore, the option is not If our focus remains primarily on how
1950’s technology, we would need to plow to reduce irrigation; to do so would require to attain top yields without investing in
under six billion more acres! bringing an immense amount of land into broader systems and soil and water conser-
production to compen- vation, then we will eventually file agro-
sate for lower yields. nomic bankruptcy.
Instead, the answer is to
use water more effi- SSppeeaakkiinngg ffrroomm eexxppeerriieennccee
ciently. Having been to almost 100 countries,
If all of the existing traversed many ecosystems, and met farm-
20-year-old pivot sys- ers who are net buyers of food and cannot
tems were converted to even feed their own families, I have come
new, low-pressure sys- to realize how privileged Americans are.
tems, we would con- However, privilege bears responsibility.
serve 167 trillion gal- We owe it to those who depend on our
lons of water each food assistance, as well as to those who
year—more than half of will farm our land in the future, to leave
the current annual con- them with the means to be successful.
sumption for industrial By combining traditional farming
and domestic uses com- lessons—using nature as a guide—with
SSttiillll,, wwee ccaann ddoo bbeetttteerr bined. If this is true for pivot conversions, state-of-the-art technology, and by com-
We have new technology to increase think of the huge savings that we would bining flexible thinking with the proper
our efficiency, but technology is only half achieve by converting flood-irrigated government policies, we can integrate the
the answer; we also need Mother Nature. acres to pivots. best of past, current, and future practices.
Most of us know that crop rotations are A plan that focuses on simply increas- OOuurr ffuuttuurree ddiivviiddeennddss wwiillll bbee ssuubb--
better for soil health and pest control, even ing yields, while ignoring other factors, is ssttaannttiiaall,, bbuutt oonnllyy iiff wwee pprrootteecctt oouurr
though rotations are not always economi- not sustainable. We cannot farm as if cer- aaggrriiccuullttuurraall ccaappiittaall..
cal. We also know that to average 300 tain pieces of the puzzle can be ignored.
bushels of corn per acre, part of our field Instead, we must focus on systems. To Howard Buffett is president of the
Howard G. Buffett Foundation, Decatur,
must yield 400 bushels, even though that maximize production while reducing our
Ill., USA.
increased productivity has less desirable environmental footprint, we need to adapt
Photo: “Backseat,” supplied by the Howard G.
consequences. our systems, and we can choose to do this
Buffet Foundation.
In very simple terms, if we want to now or eventually be forced to do it
increase yields for the long term, we can- through regulations. And we must accept
RESOURCE January/February 2011 7
Out of the Rut
By Len Corzine
II sseeee eexxcciittiinngg ttiimmeess aahheeaadd for 69 percent, irrigated water use by 27 per- The inaction of our government is unfortu-
American agriculture because we have cent, energy use by 37 percent, and total nate. A big advantage of U.S. industry has
gotten out of the rut of traditional demand emissions by 30 percent to produce each been our ability to get products to markets
for our products. There are new demands bushel of corn. This is a great story, and more efficiently than our competitors.
and new opportunities to provide a wide the news continues to get better. With our deteriorating infra- structure, that
variety of products from domestic, natural, advantage is slipping away.
and renewable sources. For example, we IInnffrraassttrruuccttuurree mmuusstt kkeeeepp uupp On the bright side, infrastructure
have learned that we can produce just We have the resources for more effi- improvements would provide long-term
about anything from corn and soybeans cient production than anywhere else on the job opportunities at a time when unem-
that we previously produced from petrole- planet. However, if we are to take advantage ployment is the biggest weight on our
um. That’s great news for our society and of our opportunities, American agriculture unstable economy. In fact, we already have
our environment. Plants, using photosyn- needs infrastructure development. The pro- solutions for many of the challenges that
thesis to capture energy from the sun, can duction capability is in place and increasing, we face, from managing production to
provide for more of our needs. but our infrastructure has not kept up. The marketing products. We also have oppor-
markets for agricultural tunities for further innovation. In the
production are growing in future, I think these exciting challenges
the United States and will draw more young engineering talent
around the world, and into agriculture.
problems arise when we
can’t get our production to OOuutt ooff tthhee rruutt aanndd iinnttoo tthhee ffuuttuurree
these markets efficiently. By necessity, due to funding issues, our
The need begins at universities will become more integrated
the farm gate. Grain ele- with private research, and this change will
vators, once the pride of have some real benefits. Academic institu-
the prairie, are obsolete. tions working with private firms will be able
Antiquated drying, condi- to both develop and commercialize new
tioning, and handling sys- products from renewable sources. For exam-
tems have not kept pace ple, corn and soybeans have been grown for
IItt aallll ssttaarrttss wwiitthh tthhee sseeeedd with the demands of modern production. generations, but as we move forward we are
With these new market opportunities, We need higher capacity systems, and I already learning they are much more than
we have a need for increases in production. don’t mean just the size of grain legs. There commodities. Biotechnology and transgenic
With corn in particular, we are seeing inno- has been some success with container sys- processes will help us customize these and
vations in seed genetics and biotechnology. tems, but this technology needs continued other products with specific characteristics
We also need to continue to improve our development. for specific markets. The added value will
seeding technology. Seed placement and In addition, our roads have not had a help provide the incentive needed to build
the quality of grain coming out of the field major initiative since the Interstate the infrastructure necessary to get these
become more important as value and profit Highway System in the 1950s. Since then, products to their end users.
potential increase. This effort will involve the beltways around major metropolitan With more opportunities and more
plant and yield protection, too, to help areas have been the sole additions. Our risks than ever before, these are indeed
seeds maximize their potential in both railroad system actually regressed for a exciting times for American agriculture.
good and bad weather conditions. long time, from the 1960s through the To meet these challenges, our generation
1990s, and it is now inadequate to meet must provide the path for the next genera-
LLeessss mmuusstt mmaakkee mmoorree our needs. And our river transportation tion to follow. We can’t afford to fall back
What we are talking about is produc- system is in danger of collapse. We built into the rut.
ing more with less. We are already devel- extensive lock and dam systems in the
oping tools to better utilize and protect the 1930s with a life expectancy of 50 years. Leon “Len” Corzine is chairman and past
president of the National Corn Growers
natural resources that we are blessed with However, we have not been able to get the
Association, Washington, D.C., USA.
in the United States. For example, from federal government to move forward, and
Photo supplied by the author: “21st Century
1987 to 2007, U.S. corn farmers reduced now a major upgrade is 30 years past due.
Opportunity ... 21st Century Production ...
their land use by 37 percent, soil loss by
21st Century Needs”
8 January/February 2011 RESOURCE
A Bavarian Perspective
By Markus Demmel
TThhee ffuuttuurree ooff aaggrriiccuullttuurree iinn tthhee convert gas into electrical energy and feed tions has a long history in the region.
wwoorrlldd will be as versatile as farming it into the national electric grid. In the Following society’s changing preferences,
itself, our societies, and our countries are. future, new technology will be able to an increasing number of farmers are also
In reference to my colleagues’ and my clean the gas and feed it directly into the offering vacation rentals and other recre-
work at the Bavarian State Research natural gas grid. As another example, in ation possibilities. Although mobility has
Center for Agriculture, I want to highlight addition to delivering construction timber, reached a high level, there is an increasing
the “future farm” from a specific point of farmers’forests can provide wood chips for demand for such services in the country-
view, focusing on agriculture in southern private firing and for small- and medium- side near metropolitan areas.
Germany, particularly the pre-alpine sized combined heat and power stations. AA kkeeyy eelleemmeenntt ttoo hheellpp ffaarrmmeerrss
region of Bavaria. Farming here is domi- AA cchhaalllleennggee ffoorr ffaarrmmeerrss iinn tthhee rreeaalliizzee mmuullttiiffuunnccttiioonnaall aaggrriiccuullttuurree
nated by small dairy farms with mainly ssiittuuaattiioonn ddeessccrriibbeedd aabboovvee wwiillll bbee ttoo iiss ooppttiimmiizziinngg tthhee oorrggaanniizzaattiioonn ooff
grassland and pastures, little or no arable mmaaiinnttaaiinn tthheeiirr iinnccoommee ffrroomm sseelllliinngg tthheeiirr eenntteerrpprriisseess iinn rreeggaarrdd ttoo wwoorrkk
land, and often forests. In contrast to many ttrraaddiittiioonnaall aaggrriiccuullttuurraall pprroodduuccttss,, aanndd mmeecchhaanniizzaattiioonn,, aanndd tthhiiss iiss
other rural areas, this region is densely such as milk and grain, while creating wwhheerree aaggrriiccuullttuurraall eennggiinneeeerrss wwiillll
populated and has some economic hot added value by processing the additional ccoonnttrriibbuuttee.. Machines, structures, and
spots (such as the city of Munich) and products. Again, this will be achieved in production processes must be designed
therefore has a high number of com- different ways for the different products both to allow farmers to be successful in
muters. For these people, the “country- and services. In some cases, processing their core business—animal and plant pro-
side” has become their home. Like much will take place on the farm. For niche mar- duction—and to develop the new activities
of the urban population, they are often and services described
well educated and have high family above. Substantial ecolog-
incomes. The regional unemployment rate ical, animal welfare, and
is low. Most of the region also serves as a landscape architecture
recreation area. These conditions influ- concerns have to be
ence the daily work of the local farmers respected to ensure social
and determine the future development of acceptance and to raise
agriculture in the region. the value of local farming.
Although the current situation for Modern technology that
agriculture in this region seems to be quite can increase the accuracy
clear, farming will not develop in a single and efficiency of agricul-
direction in the future. Especially in this kets, milk can be processed to high-value tural processes, such as electronic control
region, sscciieennttiissttss,, eexxtteennssiioonn ssppeecciiaall-- products typical of the region, such as spe- elements and automation that document
iissttss,, aanndd ootthheerr eexxppeerrttss aarree pprrooppooss-- cialty cheeses. Similarly, instead of selling the process quality and results, and modern
iinngg ““mmuullttiiffuunnccttiioonnaall aaggrriiccuullttuurree”” aass low-value wood chips, a farmer could sell farm buildings that are optimized for the
aa wwaayy ttoo ccoommbbiinnee ffaarrmmiinngg aanndd tthhee heat to private homes or public users. In animals, the people, and the landscape will
pprroossppeeccttss,, nneeeeddss,, aanndd rreeqquuiirreemmeennttss other cases, this added value will only be smooth the way to the “farm of the future”
ooff llaarrggeerr ssoocciieettyy.. Farmers will produce achieved by the cooperation of several in Bavaria.
top-quality, healthy, and safe agricultural farmers combining their different inputs,
products, and they will contribute to meet specialized knowledge, and economic ASABE member Markus Demmel is the
program leader, Plant Production
other demands. resources.
Engineering Department, Institute for
Number one on the list of additional The recreational aspects of the region
Agricultural Engineering, Bavarian State
products or services is renewable energy. strongly influence the conditions for farm- Research Center for Agriculture,
Again, there will not be a single type or ing, but they also offer new possibilities Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany;
www.lfl.bayern.de.
source of agricultural bio-energy. Some for multifunctional agriculture. TToouurriissttss
farmers will combine biogas production tteenndd ttoo sseeeekk oouutt aattttrraaccttiivvee aanndd wweellll Illustration: Axonometric projection of Bavarian
dairy farm of the future for 160 milking cows
with animal production, possibly also tteennddeedd rruurraall llaannddssccaappeess,, aanndd oonnllyy
with cow-kennels, two milking robots, auto-
using low-value or low-priced plant mate- ffaarrmmiinngg ccaann pprroovviiddee tthhiiss sseerrvviiccee matic feeding, biogas plant, and photovoltaic
rials. Today, most of the 4,500 agricultural wwiitthhoouutt eennoorrmmoouuss ccoossttss.. Farmers can cells on all roofs. By J. Simon, B. Haidn,
J.Harms, C.Biermanski, P. Stötzel,
biogas plants in Germany, with a total benefit directly from this situation.
E. Rivera-Gracia, and J. Zahner.
installed electrical output of 1,600 MW, Offering “bed and breakfast” accommoda-
RESOURCE January/February 2011 9
Adapting to Climate Change
By Otto C. Doering III
MMaannaaggeemmeenntt ttiimmee iiss oonnee ooff tthhee rreecciippee ffaarrmmiinngg,, oorr wwiillll aa ccoonnttiinnuuaa-- agement, and greatly increased risk man-
ssccaarrcceesstt rreessoouurrcceess aavvaaiillaabbllee to those ttiioonn ooff ttooddaayy’’ss rreecciippeess,, wwhhiicchh oonnccee agement—both financial risk and produc-
working in agriculture today. Given ssiimmpplliiffiieedd tthhee ddeecciissiioonnss aanndd aaccttiioonnss tion risk. Concentrating on one or two pri-
increasing challenges of all sorts, manage- ooff ffaarrmm ooppeerraattoorrss,, eenndd uupp rreeqquuiirriinngg mary crops may no longer be sensible for
ment time is likely to be even scarcer in eevveenn mmoorree mmaannaaggeemmeenntt aanndd ooppeerr-- an agricultural enterprise. There will also
the future, and adapting to climate change aattiinngg ttiimmee wwhhiillee pprroovviiddiinngg lleessss bbeenn-- be secondary impacts of climate change,
and the various environmental constraints eeffiitt??If the future follows what current cli- which are often overlooked. With less fre-
that climate change represents will require mate change projections indicate, then we quent and more intense rainfall, soil ero-
increasing amounts of valuable manage- can expect the latter. sion can be expected to increase substan-
ment time. Adaptation to climate change brings tially. As a result, our definition of “highly
IIff tthhee rruullee ffoorr rreeaall eessttaattee iiss llooccaa-- real challenges to production agriculture, erodible” land and our systems to control
ttiioonn,, llooccaattiioonn,, llooccaattiioonn,, tthheenn tthhee rruullee and crop choice is one of them. Many erosion will have to change as well.
ffoorr cclliimmaattee cchhaannggee iiss vvaarriiaabbiilliittyy,, areas that are well suited for certain crops Some of these difficulties will be mit-
vvaarriiaabbiilliittyy,, vvaarriiaabbiilliittyy.. Most projec- will likely remain so; the central Corn Belt igated by technology. New plant varieties
tions of climate change show will be developed to meet
increased climate variability some of the challenging condi-
as a major factor, in addition tions (moisture variability,
to overall temperature and heat, etc.), but yields may be
rainfall changes. The indirect adversely affected. In general,
aaddaapptt cclliimmaattee cchhaannggee,,
To to
results of this are critically engineering solutions for the
important as well. With agricultural producers will have to make challenges of climate change
increased climate variability ddeecciissiioonnss nneeww will be difficult because we
on a whole range of
comes increased yield vari- will be operating where the
ccoonncceerrnnss
ability, and with this comes ... conditions for our production
increased financial risk. systems are much less certain.
Over the past fifty years, How can agricultural pro-
we have developed technology that allows will continue to be the best place to grow ducers position themselves to adapt suc-
increasingly predictable “recipe farming.” corn. However, the western Corn Belt is a cessfully? TThhee ffiirrsstt rreeqquuiirreemmeenntt iiss ttoo
IInn aa sseennssee,, wwee hhaavvee ttuurrnneedd llaarrggee different matter. This area is already defi- aaddmmiitt tthhee ppoossssiibbiilliittyy ooff cclliimmaattee
ppaarrttss ooff aaggrriiccuullttuurraall pprroodduuccttiioonn iinnttoo cient in rainfall, and production will cchhaannggee,, aanndd ppllaann ffoorr tthhee eevveennttuuaallii--
aann iinndduussttrriiaall pprroocceessss.. Herbicide-toler- become even more challenging with ttiieess bbeeiinngg pprroojjeecctteedd bbyy rreeppuuttaabbllee
ant corn and soybeans are the ultimate increased climate variability. In general, aaggrriiccuullttuurraall aanndd cclliimmaattee sscciieennttiissttss..
expression of this approach, which has had the fringe areas of established production Second, even if the outcome is not yet cer-
multiple benefits within the production regions are where critical cropping deci- tain, producers must devote some manage-
system. Herbicide-resistant crops have sions will have to be made. ment time to climate change eventualities,
reduced farm labor requirements, allowing Irrigation will not necessarily solve as risk insurance. Developing the agro-
one operator to cover more acres in a time- such problems. Projections of climate nomic, engineering, and financial risk
ly fashion. No-till cropping makes recipe change in central Illinois have demonstrat- management tools for climate change
farming simpler to manage, and there can ed that irrigation will not solve the project- adaptation is a long-term project. As the
be substantial conservation benefits, such ed heat problem in that region. If a plant evidence accumulates, those who adapt
as reduced soil erosion (although it is the simply doesn’t have the physiological most quickly, by developing plans for
labor and time savings, not conservation, capacity to transpire sufficiently to cool adapting to climate change, have an
that often drives the decision). Climate itself, then it doesn’t matter how much increasing probability of surviving in a
change will disrupt this model, and with water is at the root level. more difficult world.
increased variability more of the produc- To adapt to climate change, agricultur-
tion process will be outside of the bounds al producers will have to make decisions ASABE member Otto C. Doering III is
professor of agricultural economics and
of recipe farming. WWiillll wwee bbee aabbllee ttoo on a whole new range of concerns, includ-
director of the Climate Change Research
ddeevveelloopp tteecchhnnoollooggyy aanndd mmaannaaggee-- ing crop and cropping system shifts, timing
Center, Purdue University,
mmeenntt ssyysstteemmss tthhaatt mmaaiinnttaaiinn oouurr of planting (to minimize stress during West Lafayette, Ind., USA.
ccuurrrreenntt ssttyyllee ooff iinndduussttrriiaall--ssccaallee reproduction), new challenges of pest man-
10 January/February 2011 RESOURCE