crop farming

8/8/2019 Crop Farming

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CROP FARMINGCROP FARMINGOld MacDonald is Broken.Old MacDonald is Broken.

How to fix him.How to fix him.


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History of Crop FarmingHistory of Crop Farming

Traditional farming: would use animal and vegetable waste to fertilize crops and would not

typically include the use of machines or any chemical or artificial fertilizers.

Modern farming: introduced chemical fertilizers and weed and pest control, as well as the

use of machinery. Modern farming began with the industrialization of farming.

Organic farming: while believed to have started in the 1930s the high demand for product

didnt really begin until the 1990s. To be classified as organic, the use of synthetic fertilizers,

pesticides and livestock feed additives are restricted. Instead practices such as compost,biological pest control and crop rotation increase productivity.

Sustainable farming: is not the same as organic farming. The main goals of sustainable

farming are environmental stewardship, farm profitability and the development of successful

farming communities. Sustainable farming aims to provide consistent and indefinite crop

yields while still preserving the environment by avoiding certain harmful practices such as

excessive tillage.

Biotech farming: involves altering the genes of p lants to allow them to defend themselves

against disease and pests. Like sustainable farming, biotech crops aim to reduce or maybe

eliminate the need for tillage but at what price?

AdvancementsAdvancements

With the exception of smaller traditional farming, all of the above

mentioned types of crop farming rely on machinery powered by fossi l

fuels. Currently, plentiful and economical fossil energy supports an era of

machinery and agricultural chemicals.

But for how long?

About 1,000 liters of oil equivalent are used to produce

a hectare of corn with a yield of 9,000 kg/ha. One-third

of this energy used is machinery, one-third for

fertilizers and one-third other.


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Problems With EmissionsProblems With Emissions Agricultural soil management (5%, 61%)

Nitrous oxide emissions account for approximately 60 percent of the

total emissions from the agricultural sector. Nitrous oxide is

produced naturally in soils through the microbial processes of

nitrification and de-nitrification. During nitrification, ammonium (NH4)

produces nitrates (NO3,). During de-nitrification, nitrates (NO3,) are

reduced to nitrogen gas (N2). These two processes inherently create

nitrous oxide (N20).

The large increase in the use of nitrogen fertilizer for the production

of high nitrogen consuming crops such as corn has increased the

emissions of nitrous oxide. Nitrogen fertilizer is essential for

profitable crop production.

Enteric fermentation (1.5%, 18%)

Methane is a by-product of the normal digestive processes in

animals. During digestion, microbes in the animals digestive system

ferment feed. This process is called enteric fermentation. Methane isemitted by the exhaling and belching of the animal. Because of their

unique digestive system, ruminant animals (e.g. cattle) are the major

emitters of methane.

Manure management (0.7%, 9%)

When manure decomposes in the presence of oxygen as would

happen in a pasture situation, carbon dioxide is released. W hen

manure is stored as a liquid or slurry in lagoons, ponds, tanks or pits

methane is produced by the anaerobic (without oxygen)

decomposition of manure. Dairy cattle and swine account for

approximately 85 percent of the methane emissions. Methane

emissions will increase as the number of large scale livestockconfinement systems increases.

Carbon dioxide from fossil fuel consumption (0.6%, 7%)

The use of fossil fuels in agricultural production (not including the

transportation of goods) are primarily for the combustion of gasoline

and diesel fuel.

Other (0.3%, 4%)

There are many other sources that produce greenhouse gas

emissions. Most notable is the method used for growing rice. Rice is

grown on flooded fields, which prevents atmospheric oxygen from

entering soil. When rice is grown with no oxygen, the soil organicmatter decomposes under anaerobic conditions and produces

methane that escapes into the atmosphere.

Table 1 depicts greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector. The

agriculture sector accounts for approximately 8% of all greenhouse gas

emissions.

Table 2 breaks down the various sources of greenhouse gases within the

agricultural sector.

Nitrous oxide, methane and carbon dioxide are considered

the three main greenhouse gases emitted by human activity.

Methane has 21 times GWP (global warming potential) over

carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide has 310 times GW P.


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anges n o ernanges n o ern

FarmingFarming -In the past 30 years its estimated that crop farms have increased 15 times in size in our region.

-30 years ago the cost of living was lower, therefore farms could be smaller with a lower return on investment.

-30 years ago crop farmers had a combine that had a 10 ft. wide cutting blade capable of cutting 10 acres in a

day.

-In the past when parts of the fields were wet, crops would rot in these areas.

-In the past farmers had to do more field preparation before planting a crop, therefore burning a lot more fuel.

-In the past small farms were known for having the best crops because the farmer used his memory to keep track

where his best crops grew.

-In the past menacing weeds would be manually cut down and tilled back into the ground. Today with chemical

weed killing and genetically modified seeds with pesticide, the farmer spends less time and fuel for crops.

PastPast PresentPresent-Today a combine has a 30 ft. blade that cuts 100 acres a day, but comes with a huge capital

investment.

-Today large farms have the best crops due to advances in technology.

-Today a large investment is made in weeping tiles to get rid of the excess ground water.

-Today with technological advances theres no need to plow and till fields as often. This

reduces the amount of GHGs in the atmosphere. It also helps retain the topsoil on the hilly

parts of the fields.

-In the past menacing weeds would be manually cut down and tilled back into the ground.

Today with chemical weed killing and genetically modified seeds with pesticide, the farmer

spends less time and fuel for crops.

-Today small farms will temporarily survive with the emphasis on locally grown produce as the

demand is increasing. Unfortunately with urban sprawl taking the best farm land, this sector of

fresh fruits and vegetable farming will disappear.

-Today the only way to keep up with technology is to have a large commercial farm. The large

size makes it economically viable to keep up with new technologies.

-In the near future large commercial farms wont be owned and operated by single families.

Corporations will own the farming business with the farmers being the managers.

-Farmers will tell you that if we dont take serious steps to limit climate change this will

negatively affect food supply as a single night of frost in the month of August could destroy North

Americas corn crop from the growing season.


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SolutionsSolutions

Vertical farming has been around on a small scale for aVertical farming has been around on a small scale for a

time now. Hothouse tomatoes and herbs are grown in atime now. Hothouse tomatoes and herbs are grown in a

multi layered format in greenhouses.multi layered format in greenhouses.

More Effective use of space:More Effective use of space: 1 indoor acre is equivalent to

4-6 outdoor acres or more, depending upon the crop (e.g.,strawberries: 1 indoor acre = 30 outdoor acres)

Better control of the internal environment, helps reduce theBetter control of the internal environment, helps reduce thetime crops cannot be grown.time crops cannot be grown.

Vertical FarmingVertical Farming

Green Roof SystemsGreen Roof SystemsAllows for food to be grown on top of existing structures.Allows for food to be grown on top of existing structures.

Positive environmental impact on the structure it is built on.Positive environmental impact on the structure it is built on.

Cost beneficial for the building owner/community.Cost beneficial for the building owner/community.

Farm a PlanetFarm a PlanetMay be our only option if we dont change soonMay be our only option if we dont change soon

Ridiculously difficult to accomplish with todays technologyRidiculously difficult to accomplish with todays technology

Not even close to being cost effective.Not even close to being cost effective.


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FarmingFarmingNo weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods,

pests

Small footprint with a large return.

Markets could be located right under the farm. Thus

eliminating the need for the shipping of produce.

Little to no fossil fuel dependency.

Rain water collectors and treated gray water could waterplants, reducing the stress on the water supply.

Low environmental impact.

One unit could produce most to all the needed crops.

(see figure 1)

Can turn abandoned urban areas into new urban

communities.

Wind turbines, both mounted inside the structure and onto,

could harvest electricity to power the farms systems,

possibly even adding to the grid.

Rain water on the roof could power turbines making use ofthe potential energy caused by gravity. FIGURE 1FIGURE 1

crop farming

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