Transcript ALABAMA AGRICULTURE SINCE 1950: DECLINE AND CHANGE

ALABAMA AGRICULTURE
SINCE 1950:
DECLINE AND CHANGE
Highlights of Alabama Agriculture Since 1950
• Total number of farms has decreased
• Average farm size has increased
• The few remaining row-crop farms are viable
• Originally, Alabama farmland was both
A. Row crop land
B. Mixture of pasture and light forest cover
• The pasture and light forest cover was converted to pure forest
without pasture
• The total forest land grew because of the conversion
• Farms that could not raise row crops converted to chickens,
catfish, and other alternatives
Number of Farms and Land In Farms
(in acres, all numbers x 1000)
USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS), "Farm Real Estate Historical Series
Data, 1950-1992", Statistical Bulletin No. 855
Year
Number of Farms
Land in Farms
1950
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
220
168
129
102
85
78
59
55
49
46
21300
21200
17600
16200
15000
14600
12500
11800
10700
9800
Ag and Forest Land Use
(in acres, all numbers x 1000)
USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS), "Major Land Uses 1945-1992", Stock No. 89003
Year
A.
Total
Only
B.
Crop
Land
C.
Total
Forest
D.
Forest
Use,
Not
Grazed
E.
Woodland
as Pasture
1945
1949
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
1978
1982
1987
1992
32690
32690
32690
32678
32545
32452
32452
32452
32491
32491
32480
8266
8271
7481
6028
5211
5885
5797
5888
5642
4803
4539
18748
18817
20766
20771
21749
21748
21333
21333
21179
21659
21941
4889
8305
10785
16000
17241
19437
19444
19452
19479
19965
20337
13859
10512
9981
4771
4508
2311
1889
1881
1700
1694
1604
Why Row Crop Agriculture Has Declined
• Crops can grow in Alabama but they cannot compete with other
areas of the country
• Climate too severe and unpredictable
Late, early, unpredictable frosts
Severe storms
Occasional droughts
• Soil is poor, except for a few good areas in the Black Belt and by
Huntsville
• Still, some alternatives have opened up
Climatic Variability: Last Frost
The next slide is a map showing the average date of last frost
in various places in Alabama. There is almost three months
difference between the north and south of the state. Because
of this difference across the state, each point in the state
varies considerably in the date of last frost. In Alabama, crops
have to be planted later than people think, and the growing
period is shorter than people think. This makes Alabama
farmers less able to compete.
Alabama Has Poor Average Yields
The next two slides compare Alabama yields of bushels of corn
per acre, and pounds per milk of cow, with three other states, for
two periods: 1960 and 2000.
Alabama improved its yields, especially with milk, but it has not
been able to match production in other states regardless of how
much effort has gone into research and extension. Notice how
production in other states has held more steady. Much of the
apparent improvement in Alabama actually came about because
poor producers dropped out rather than because all producers
improved.
Average Bushels of Corn per Acre
State/Year:
1960
2000
Alabama
26
65
Indiana
68
146
Iowa
64
144
Oregon
69
180
Average Pounds of Milk per Cow
State/Year:
1960
2000
Alabama
3970
13920
Indiana
7460
16568
Minnesota
8120
17777
Oregon
6980
18222