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Sadly, not that simple, few major issues here, we are exporting extremely low value, high water, crops overseas, like alfalfa. We are also growing these low val
by s0rce 3y ago
Sadly, not that simple, few major issues here, we are exporting extremely low value, high water, crops overseas, like alfalfa. We are also growing these low value, high water crops to feed to animals (which also consume a lot of water). We don't need to subsidize these activities, particularly not the former.
- kolanos 3y agoAlfalfa is "extremely low value" by what metric? It is a rich food source for livestock. Alfalfa is also one of the most water efficient crops there is due to its deep roots, high yield and perennial nature. [1] A lot of "studies" on water efficiency of crops ignore yield, which is kind of the whole point of agriculture. And regarding your export claim: > Based on USDA data for 2022, only 4% of all U.S. dry hay produced and 6.5% of all harvested alfalfa hay entered the export market. [0]: https://hayandforage.com/article-4300-hay-exports-in-2022-offered-mixed-news.html https://hayandforage.com/article-4300-hay-exports-in-2022-of... [1]: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17721 https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1772...
- shagie 3y agoThe final paragraph of the article: > In the seven Western states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, hay exports play a much larger role in impacting both markets and prices. Based on USDA export and hay production data for those states, 19% of their alfalfa production was exported in 2022 and 26% of the grass production found its way into shipping containers. As such, hay prices in the Western states play a large role in setting market prices.
- opo 3y agoThere might be other ways of measuring water efficiency of crops, but from a quick google search, most sources seem to consider alfalfa to not be very water efficient. For example: >...According to an analysis by the conservation non-profit Pacific Institute, alfalfa production in California uses around 5 feet an acre (6167.4 cubic metres) of water, making it one of the most water-intensive crops alongside the likes of almonds, pistachios and rice. Crops such as sugar beets use roughly 3 feet an acre (3,700 cubic metres), and dry beans as little as 1.5 feet each acre (1,850 cubic metres). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado-drought-water-alfalfa-farmers-conservation#:~:text=According%20to%20an%20analysis%20by,of%20almonds%2C%20pistachios%20and%20rice https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/12/colorado.... >>...Based on USDA data for 2022, only 4% of all U.S. dry hay produced and 6.5% of all harvested alfalfa hay entered the export market. It is misleading to just talk about the entire US production of alfalfa since in many places water is not nearly as limited as it is in California. >...Government figures compiled by Putnam and fellow researchers William Matthews and Daniel Sumner show about 15 percent of alfalfa and more than 44 percent of other types of hay produced in the West have been exported in recent years. >The share exported from Southern California farms is significantly higher than the regional average, the researchers said, because the closeness of the port makes trucking costs relatively inexpensive. That percentage is from an article in 2017 - it sounds like the percentage today is at least that high or higher. https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/09/28/booming-demand-hay-asia-middle-east-driving-agribusiness-california-desert/702400001/ https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/environment/2017/09/28/...
- BenjiWiebe 3y agoWater efficiency by area isn't very useful. Look at calories out or protein out or pounds of dry matter.