3 ms·

They could also switch to less fertilizer intensive crops. I think soybeans require less than corn. Farmers commonly switch between the two depending on marke

They could also switch to less fertilizer intensive crops. I think soybeans require less than corn. Farmers commonly switch between the two depending on market prices. Not a farmer but I think I read it somewhere...maybe 80% sure of this...

opinion-is-bad 5y ago
Soybeans and corn can often be grown in the same areas, and corn uses more fertilizer than soybeans so your logic checks out. The problem is that corn produces more calories per acre than soybeans (or any other crop), so changing over large amounts of production could still result in a food shortage even if the total acres remains the same.
- zdragnar 5y ago
  We could also cut the mandates for ethanol produced from corn- roughly 40% of corn grown goes into making it.
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    A lot of corn also goes to animal feed.
    - Scoundreller 5y ago
      When I worked out the numbers, it was about 75% of US corn production going to ethanol and animal feed. A lot of the other 25% is probably corn syrup. Burning natural gas to make fertilizer to grow corn (a 2% efficient solar panel) to eventually blend with gasoline is uhhhhh, dumb.
  - djrogers 5y ago
    The article, and the problems it references, aren't really expected to be a US thing - it's developing nations, and places where food is already harder to come by...
- wintermutestwin 5y ago
  I'd imagine that the protein in soy is more important to the food supply than a simple measure of calories.
- chickenpotpie 5y ago
  We could also stop feeding so much of these plants to animals and start feeding them to ourselves and cut our growing immensely. We’re feeding about 3/4 of our soybeans to animals, but they’re packed with protein that we can digest.
teslabox 5y ago
> Farmers commonly switch between the two depending on market prices. Legume roots have nodules that cultivate bacteria that fix nitrogen. Farmers rotate their fields between corn and soybeans/legumes because the bacteria on legume roots restores the nitrogen in the soil, thereby lessening their fertilizer costs. Biological Nitrogen Fixation: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological-nitrogen-fixation-23570419/ https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological... This is an inoculant with bacteria for soybeans: https://www.groworganic.com/products/soybean-inoculant?_pos=14&_sid=232882efd&_ss=r https://www.groworganic.com/products/soybean-inoculant?_pos=... Plants with deep roots pull up nutrients from deep soil. I think corn and soybeans generally don't help with restoring the soil like native plants. A chart comparing root systems of North American prairie plants and bluegrass: https://www.reddit.com/r/ecology/comments/bxoh43/a_chart_comparing_root_systems_of_north_american/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ecology/comments/bxoh43/a_chart_com...

opinion-is-bad 5y ago

Soybeans and corn can often be grown in the same areas, and corn uses more fertilizer than soybeans so your logic checks out. The problem is that corn produces more calories per acre than soybeans (or any other crop), so changing over large amounts of production could still result in a food shortage even if the total acres remains the same.

zdragnar 5y ago
We could also cut the mandates for ethanol produced from corn- roughly 40% of corn grown goes into making it.
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  A lot of corn also goes to animal feed.
  - Scoundreller 5y ago
    When I worked out the numbers, it was about 75% of US corn production going to ethanol and animal feed. A lot of the other 25% is probably corn syrup. Burning natural gas to make fertilizer to grow corn (a 2% efficient solar panel) to eventually blend with gasoline is uhhhhh, dumb.
- djrogers 5y ago
  The article, and the problems it references, aren't really expected to be a US thing - it's developing nations, and places where food is already harder to come by...
wintermutestwin 5y ago
I'd imagine that the protein in soy is more important to the food supply than a simple measure of calories.
chickenpotpie 5y ago
We could also stop feeding so much of these plants to animals and start feeding them to ourselves and cut our growing immensely. We’re feeding about 3/4 of our soybeans to animals, but they’re packed with protein that we can digest.

teslabox 5y ago

> Farmers commonly switch between the two depending on market prices. Legume roots have nodules that cultivate bacteria that fix nitrogen. Farmers rotate their fields between corn and soybeans/legumes because the bacteria on legume roots restores the nitrogen in the soil, thereby lessening their fertilizer costs. Biological Nitrogen Fixation: https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological-nitrogen-fixation-23570419/ https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/biological... This is an inoculant with bacteria for soybeans: https://www.groworganic.com/products/soybean-inoculant?_pos=14&_sid=232882efd&_ss=r https://www.groworganic.com/products/soybean-inoculant?_pos=... Plants with deep roots pull up nutrients from deep soil. I think corn and soybeans generally don't help with restoring the soil like native plants. A chart comparing root systems of North American prairie plants and bluegrass: https://www.reddit.com/r/ecology/comments/bxoh43/a_chart_comparing_root_systems_of_north_american/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ecology/comments/bxoh43/a_chart_com...