Increasing amount of prairie being plowed up for cropland
August 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Prairie and other natural landscapes have been plowed up at an unprecedented rate across the nation’s midsection since 2008, especially in the Corn Belt, according to an analysis released Monday by a leading conservation group.
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Increased demand for crops due to increasing population. Yet no one has urged ZPG in a generation.
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It’s because of ethanol production, from which we don’t have enough land to make it a good fuel alternative.
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We should be growing iPads.
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“Trying” nailed it. Our congresscritters in St. Paul have demanded the production of a crop, thus creating an artificial market, so farmers devote more land to growing said product (thus making more money). Why is this surprising? It’s no different than the people who demand ethanol production, then complain about the increase in food prices.
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The best way to illustrate the stupidity of the red tape and bureacrats who pander to lobby…Ethanol.
Ethanol and ‘alternative energy’ was the rage because it was supposedly green…less greenhouse gas output and what not. But problems abound…it isn’t as efficient as gas so more is used, upping greenhouse emmissions. Then there’s the nasty little fact that it takes something like 2 gallons of gas/diesel to produce 1 gallon of ethanol (ratio is probably not exact, but it is close). So we’re actually upping the things we tried to reduce.
But since there are so many farmers making money off it, we continue to push for more ethanol.
The plight for the farmers is real, but it stems more from greedy mega-corporations such as Monsanto and Con-agra.
The bigger corporations get, the less room there is for the family farmer, they either go broke or go into production for the mega-corporation…and go broke because the corporation won’t pay them what they deserve. Producing for Monsanto is like working for Wal-Mart…crappy.
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Today’s big corporation farmers (growers) are blamed for ruining farming but really society needs the high levels of production managed by these larger corporate farms. I’ve shopped at many farmer’s markets in communities, as well as, co-ops where smaller farmers get together with others in their areas to sell produce. I believe with today’s focus on health and ‘naturally’ produced foods that this market will only grow in demand. However, on the other side of the scenario we’ll need to maintain the large corporate farms to maintain the production necessary to feed the overgrowing population.
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7.5 Billion and growing by 2050 up to 10 plus Billion. All must eat and have fuel. No science needed here..
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Bob: I’m curious to know what objectors to your comments don’t like? They don’t think the population is growing? They don’t think each of Earth’s people will need food and fuel? Hard to understand what is hard for them to understand.
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Burntsider , I have found there is an element that just travels from issue to issue and marks dislike. Just as your comment has already been disliked as will my reply to your comment. Simple minds have simple tasks.
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mmmm food…this article making me hungry
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(I gave you a thumbs-down there just so I could fit in with the crowd)
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