I was reading an article written by the Panhandle Poet on his blog, and decided to comment, and felt it would be best to take space on my blog and not his comment window. So click the link above, read the article entitled "The Future Shape of Agriculture", then read my comments-
Very well thought out written outlook of the food and fiber industry. Here are some more points to consider:
*Water is going to become very expensive, whether it's the rights to use the water or the process to filter water to make it potable. I read an interview with T. Boone Pickens, a oil tycoon, and he stated that he is starting to buy up property just for the access to aquifers, because water will be the next oil. There's already a push for agriculture producers to contribute as much water to as they take out, either by building recharge pits, or buying water credits.
*I am for these urban "rooftop" farms, this would take some of the a little pressure off of farmers for supply, but also it will give urbanites an idea of where their food comes from. Educating their consumers is one of the problems agriculture faces, people thinking their food comes from warehouses and factories. I think people are starting to take more interest in their food, and being only feet from the farm instead of miles is better for everyone.
*There is going to need to be a large amount of capital needed to make agriculture sustainable. All of the technologies talked about here still need quite a bit of tweeking before they become effective. The only two sources of income coming in to an Agriculture Production is from product (food and fiber), or federal (taxes)and non-federal assistance. I think America's history of low food prices is coming to the end. I think there is an emerging market for local products, especially with the focus on CO2 emissions and cost of transportation.
Anyway, to sum things up, I think it's going to be an interesting time to be in Agriculture. I think that there will be more focus on "wise use" (definition of Conservation), and the 3 R's (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle). The technology coming out will be interesting, and a whole lot of paradigms will be changed.
Stay Tuned.
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1 comment:
I appreciate your additional comments to my post. Water is definitely going to be one of the most critical issues we face for the future. I frequently drive through one of the areas where Boone Pickens has acquired tens of thousands of acres for the water rights. What he does on the southeast edge of the Ogallala acquifer will affect farmers, ranchers and cities as far away as Nebraska and Colorado. It isn't just an isolated issue. If he starts punching holes in the acquifer to ship water to Dallas/Ft. Worth, it will create a sink that will pull water from beneath millions of acres to the north and west of him.
Water problems aren't just isolated to the plains -- look at California. I will be posting more about water in the future. Again, thanks for dropping by Common Sense Agriculture, Conservation and Energy.
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