“What the new fertilizer technology has accomplished for the farmer is clear: more crop can be produced on less acreage than before. Since the cost of fertilizer, relative to the resultant gain in crop sales, is lower than that of any other economic input, and since the Land Bank pays the farmer for acreage not in crops, the new technology pays him well. The cost-in environmental degradation-is borne by his neighbors in town who find their water polluted. The new technology is an economic success-but only because it is an ecological failure.” WellsWaterPayTechnologyClearEconomicLandCostGainsTownsEnvironmentalNeighborAccomplishedFarmersRelativeCropsDegradationEcologicalNew TechnologyInputFertilizerEnvironmental DegradationEconomic Success Author:Barry Commoner
“The prairies were dust. Day after day, summer after summer, the scorching winds blew the dust and the sun was brassy in a yellow sky. Crop after crop failed. Again and again the barren land must be mortgaged for taxes and food and next year's seed. The agony of hope ended when there was not harvest and no more credit, no money to pay interest and taxes; the banker took the land. Then the bank failed.” YearsNextInterestPaySunSkyLandWindTaxesSummerCreditSeedsDustYellowAgonyAgain And AgainHarvestCropsBankersNext YearNo MoneyBarrenPrairieScorching Author:Rose Wilder Lane
“Agriculture is not crop production as popular belief holds - it's the production of food and fiber from the world's land and waters. Without agriculture it is not possible to have a city, stock market, banks, university, church or army. Agriculture is the foundation of civilization and any stable economy.” WorldBeliefWaterChurchCitiesEconomyLandFoodCivilizationArmyFoundationUniversityProductionsStableAgricultureCropsFiberEnvironmentalistContrary To Popular BeliefLand And WaterCream Of The Crop Author:Allan Savory
“My lord, lawyers are a dangerous species of animals till ha'e any dependence upon--they are always starting punctilios and deeficulties among friends. Why, my dear lord, it is their interest that aw mankind should be at variance; for disagreement is the vary manure wi' which they enrich and fatten the land of leetigation; and as they find that constantly produces the best crop, depend upon it they will always be sure till lay it on ass thick ass they can.” ShouldInterestAnimalLordLandMankindDangerousProduceDependsLaysSpeciesStartingDearLawyerAssThickDependenceCropsVaryDisagreementManureVarianceDear Lord Author:Charles Macklin
“The ancient practice of allowing land to remain fallow for a season is now exploded, and a succession of different crops found preferable. The case is similar with regard to the understanding, which is more relieved by change of study than by total inactivity.” DifferentFoundUnderstandingPracticeCasesStudyLandSeasonsRegardAncientAllowingCropsSuccessionRelievedInactivity Book:Aphorisms and Reflections: A Miscellany of Thought and Opinion Source: Aphorisms and Reflections: A Miscellany of Thought and Opinion
“Will biofuel usage require land? Absolutely, but we think the ability to use winter cover crops, degraded land, as well as using sources such as organic waste, sewage, and forest waste means that actual land usage will be limited. Just these sources can replace most of our imported oil by 2030 without touching new land.” ThinkingWellsMeanUseAbilityLandSourceWasteWinterOilForestsTouchingCropsUsageSewageBiofuels Author:Vinod Khosla
“Graciousness, courtesy, compassion-this is hesed. Hesed is a quality that extends even to the animals and the land. The sabbath rest principle of Hebrew law included the needs of the livestock (Exod. 23:12). After seven years of planting and harvesting, the land itself needed "a year of complete rest" (Lev. 25:5). Even the soil of the vineyards was not to be overtaxed by planting other crops between the rows (Deut. 22:9). The oxen that trod out the grain were not to be muzzled so that they could eat while they worked (Deut. 25:4). And so on.” NeedsYearsLawAnimalQualityCompassionPrinciplesLandNeededEnvironmentalSevenSoilSustainabilityGrainSeven YearsCourtesyCropsHebrewSabbathVineyardsGraciousnessLivestockOxen Author:Richard J. Foster
“I was born and raised in Pawnee City, Nebraska. I lived right next to the sale barn and I raised pigs. My dad was a guidance counselor at Wymore High School. He was also a preacher and did farming as well. We leased out our crop land but had cattle and horses.” WellsSchoolNextBornCitiesLandDadHigh SchoolHorseRaisedMy DadGuidancePreacherPigsFarmingCropsCattleCounselorBarnsBorn And RaisedNebraskaGuidance Counselor Author:Larry the Cable Guy
“The United States as we know it today is largely the result of mechanical inventions, and in particular of agricultural machinery and the railroad. One transformed millions of acres of uncultivated land into fertile farms, while the other furnished the transportation which carried the crops to distant markets.” KnowsStatesTodayUnitedResultsMillionsUnited StatesLandParticularTrainInventionFarmsTransformedMachineryCropsTransportationFertileRailroadsAcres Book:The Railroad Builders (Volume 38 Chronicles of America) Source: The Railroad Builders (Volume 38 Chronicles of America)
“Climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism. And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you're going to see countries all over the world struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops ask you're going to see all kinds of international conflict.” IfsWorldKindCountryTogetherAsksGrowsGrowthWaterStruggleLandAmountConflictScientistClimateClimate ChangeInternationalTerrorismAll KindsRelatedCrops Author:Hillary Clinton
“Note even Jonathan Swift would dare to write a satire in which politicians argued that - in a world where species are vanishing and more than a billion people are barely able to afford to eat - it would somehow be good for the planet to clear rain-forests to grow palm oil, or give up food-crop land to grow biofuels, solely so that people could burn fuel derived from carbohydrate rather than hydrocarbons in their cars, thus driving up the price of food for the poor. Ludicrous is too weak a word for this heinous crime.” PeopleWorldGivingWritingAbleGrowsPoorClearLandCarCrimePlanetsPoliticianGiving UpRainWeakNotesSpeciesDareOilBe GoodBillionsDrivingForestsFuelSatirePalmsCropsVanishingCarbohydratesBiofuelsHydrocarbonsHeinous CrimesPalm Oil Author:Matt Ridley
“Raising crops to feed animals for human consumption requires a lot of land. It takes eight or nine cows a year to feed one average meat eater; each cow eats one acre of green plants, soybeans and corn per year; so it takes eight or nine acres of plants a year to feed one meat eater, compared with only half an acre to feed one vegetarian.” YearsHumansAnimalHalfLandGreenPlantAverageEightNineMeatVegetarianCowsConsumptionCornCropsAcresSoybeansGreen Plants Author:Sharon Gannon
“What we're also looking at, if we do not transform our energy system, is more international war and conflict as countries fight over limited natural resources, including water and land to grow their crops.” IfsWarCountryFightingEnergyGrowsWaterNaturalLandConflictResourcesIncludingInternationalCropsNatural Resources Author:Bernie Sanders