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Profile of the Farmer |
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· Nearly two million people farm or ranch in the United States. Almost 90 percent of U.S. farms are operated by individuals or family corporations. More than 15 percent of the U.S. population is employed in farm or farm-related jobs, including production agriculture, farm inputs, processing and marketing, and wholesale and retail sales. · According to the 1992 Census of Agriculture, 47 percent of the farmers were 55 years of age or older which was up only two percent from 1987. During the same period, there were two percent fewer farmers under the age of 45. · Fourty-two percent of U.S. total land area is farmland (945.5 million acres.) In 1900, the average farm size was 147 acres compared to 491 acres today. · The top five agricultural commodities include: cattle and calves, dairy products, corn, soybeans and hogs. U.S. farmers account for 42.7 percent of the world’s production of soybeans and 34.4 percent of the world’s production of corn. · Farmers and ranchers are independent business people who provide for their families by growing and producing food and fiber. They use modern production techniques to increase the quality and quantity of the food they produce. In the 1960s one farmer supplied 25.8 persons in the U.S. and abroad. In 1994, one farmer supplied food for 129 people in the U.S. and abroad. The Changing Face of Agriculture · Farmers and ranchers are producing meat lower in fat and cholesterol. This has resulted in retail cuts that are 15 percent leaner, giving consumers better value for their dollar. For example, a pork tenderloin now has only one more gram of fat than a skinless chicken breast, one of the true fat “lightweights.” Also, much leaner beef cuts are being produced compared to 20 years ago, resulting in 27 percent less fat reaching the retail case than in 1985. · Research and advancements in biotechnology are now in the market place with tastier fruits and vegetables that stay fresh longer and are not damaged by insects. |
· A new technique called “precision farming” boosts crop yields and reduces waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protector applications to local soil conditions. · Farm equipment has evolved dramatically from the team of horses used in the early 1900's. Today’s four-wheel drive tractors have the power of 40-300 horses. This makes for a large capital investment, as farmers pay anywhere from $97,000 for an average 160 horse-power tractor to $170,000 for a four-wheel drive model. · As the amount of mechanization and horse power in farm machinery has increased, the time needed to complete tasks has decreased. Combines, huge machines used to harvest grains such as corn, soybeans and wheat, have dramatically changed agriculture. In the 1930's, before the machines were available, a farmer could harvest an average of 100 bushels of corn by hand in a nine-hour day. Today’s combines can harvest 900 bushels of corn per hour—or 100 bushels of corn in under seven minutes!
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