Animal health pros, especially those serving livestock and wildlife sectors, often get into conversations about the best use for certain types of land. Bloomberg writers Dave Merrill and Lauren Leatherby used data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to show the major uses of land in the lower 48 states. You may be surprised at how little is used to grow our food.
Source: Bloomberg, July 31, 2018. Link. Yet the actual land area used to grow the food Americans eat is much smaller – only about half the size of Indiana, Illinois and half of Iowa combined. More than a third of the entire corn crop is devoted to ethanol production. Most cropland is used for livestock feed, exports or is left idle to let the land recover.
INSIGHTS: This is excellent overview-type information for presentations to youth groups, civic clubs and even internal meetings. It also shows how different land uses complement business growth, including animal management.