Farming

Where are we now?

Between the two world wars, mechanization of agriculture transformed the farming industry.  Large machines, built to plant and harvest crops more quickly than human labor, led to large-scale industrial farming in North Carolina for crops of mostly corn, grain, tobacco, and cotton.

More recently, especially in the last 30 years, we have been able to grow plants and raise livestock more cheaply and efficiently. This situation has resulted in strong farming competition which, combined with the resultant relatively low prices for agricultural goods, has almost driven the small “mixed” farmer out of business.  Low farm prices led the more commercial or industrial farmer to intensify production of both livestock and crops even further to control costs. 

All these changes have dramatic effects on natural plant communities, replacing large wild areas with a single-crop species, and, in the case of the livestock industry, producing some potentially unhealthy situations.  In particular, there are health concerns regarding the disposal of animal waste, notably from the hog industry. Considerable efforts are underway currently to address this. 

However, farming in the U.S. may be at a turning point for the following reasons:

• Development, particularly uncontrolled sprawl, is pushing up the price of land, especially around cities, to the point where agriculture is no longer economically worthwhile.
  
  
• Farming is a hard life. In the Piedmont of North Carolina the average age of those actively involved in farming is now approaching 60 with few young people wanting to replace them. The resulting pressures create situations where many farmers see the sale of their land, which is often their only tangible asset, as the source of their retirement income.  If the land is inherited by the next generation, who have often moved away from the farm, rising sale prices tempt them to sell it to the highest bidder, without concern for how the land will then be used.

If this situation continues, some of our most productive farmlands will be used for other purposes, such as housing development. The loss of farmland reduces the possibility that the nation can feed a steadily growing population into the long-term future. Current predictions show the U.S. population rising to over 400 million (300 million now) before it stabilizes around 2050.  We are going to depend more and more on locally-grown food, especially for the basics.

Looking at global trends, particularly in the farming of foods such as grains, the situation is worrying. Countries like China, which until recently have grown enough for their own use, are now unable to increase grain production to feed their growing population.  China and other countries like those in the Middle East are beginning to look worldwide for their grain supplies. These pressures will increase the world price of grain. While this could make farming in the U.S. more profitable, this will also increase the cost of basic goods.  Many countries pay to have fresh fruits and vegetables flown in.  However, as food prices rise, countries will need to use better farming technology to produce their own grains, fruits, and vegetables. The U.S. will feel those same pressures.