Alternative Crops and Biofuel Production

Kenkel, Philip L.; Holcomb, Rodney B.

doi:10.2172/1348230

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…CC went from being the county with the least production of livestock, 17% (79,004 head) of the total livestock in 1950 in the tri-county area, to leading animal production, reporting 46% (121,808 head) of the farm animals raised by 2017. Indeed, from 1950 to 1997, CC's cattle production increased (from ~35,000 head in 1950 to ~135,600 head in 1997); however, since 1997, cattle production in CC has, nonetheless, decreased, possibly due to high crop prices, especially for corn [123][124][125] (see Figure 6, Table 4). Additionally, drought has exacerbated this reduction since scarce grasses and water forced ranchers to downsize to avoid feed and water purchases and hauling costs.…”

Section: Post-dust Bowl Period (1950-2017)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons from the Archives: Understanding Historical Agricultural Change in the Southern Great Plains

Carrasco Galvan,

Vadjunec,

Fagin

2024

Land

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In the US, agriculture rapidly expanded beginning in the 1850s, influenced by homesteader policies and new technologies. With increased production also came widespread land-use/land-cover change. We analyze historical agricultural policies and associated land and water use trajectories with a focus on the Southern Great Plains (SGPs). Rapid changes in agriculture and reoccurring drought led to the infamous Dust Bowl, triggering new agricultural and land management policies, with lasting impacts on the landscape. To understand historical agricultural change, we use mixed methods, including archival literature and historical agricultural census data (1910 to 2017) from three counties in a tri-state (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado) area of the SGPs. Our archival policy and agricultural census analysis illustrates 110 years of agricultural change, showing that agricultural policies and technological advances play an integral role in the development of agroecological systems, especially the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP). Further, while communities began with distinct agricultural practices, agricultural policy development resulted in increasing uniformity in crop and livestock practices. The results suggest that there are sustainability lessons to be learned by looking to the land and water trajectories and accompanying unintended consequences of the past.

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Section: Post-dust Bowl Period (1950-2017)mentioning

confidence: 99%