A new study in published in Nature Sustainability shows that modern, high-yield agricultural practices that produce as much food on as little land as possible is good for the environment. Researchers associated with Cambridge University looked at the effects of Asian rice and European wheat cultivation, Latin American beef and European dairy production. They then measured the impacts of them on greenhouse gas emissions, water use, nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers, and soil losses.
Source: Reason: September 20, 2018. Link. The Nature Sustainability study bolsters the analysis of Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station agronomist Paul Waggoner in his . . . 1997 article, “How Much Land Can Ten Billion People Spare for Nature?” Waggoner concluded, “If during the next sixty to seventy years the world farmer reaches the average yield of the U.S. corn grower, the ten billion will need only half of today’s cropland while they eat today’s American calories.”
INSIGHTS: This information is good to have when a conversation gets into the “what type of ag is better than the other” direction. The research supports intensive agronomic practices and faults some organic practices. It is best to keep in mind that, in the big picture, one segment of crop or livestock production is not superior to another. Markets exists for products from each type of production. The important thing to remember is that we’re all on the same team producing something our customers want.