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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 20, 2010 17:17:54 GMT
Since weather ( climate ) and crops are basically joined at the hip, I thought it might be a good yardstick to go by when discussing the real world effects in regard to the climate debate. This link is a condensed overview version of the USDA reports ( which are available at the USDA.gov site ) and covers the major crop producing areas in the USA by State. Original link no longer valid. Go to www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp for USDA report. Sorry about that.On a personal level, the backyard/truck gardens in my county in N.E. MS - which include many different vegetables, and fruits - are seeing the best crops they've had in years. I grow much of my own food and I'm extremely pleased with the weather this year, which has saved me many thousands of gallons of water by not having to irrigate. That said, I do realize that there are many other factors that effect crop yield, however many of those other factors are a result of having to deal with weather related problems. |
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Post by hunterson on Jul 20, 2010 20:00:20 GMT
Since weather ( climate ) and crops are basically joined at the hip, I thought it might be a good yardstick to go by when discussing the real world effects in regard to the climate debate. This link is a condensed overview version of the USDA reports ( which are available at the USDA.gov site ) and covers the major crop producing areas in the USA by State. www.dtnprogressivefarmer.com/dtnag/common/link.do?symbolicName=/free/news/template1&paneContentId=5&paneParentId=70104&product=/ag/news/topstories&vendorReference=cdc37f49-a12b-4710-8d92-f41326abfc58On a personal level, the backyard/truck gardens in my county in N.E. MS - which include many different vegetables, and fruits - are seeing the best crops they've had in years. I grow much of my own food and I'm extremely pleased with the weather this year, which has saved me many thousands of gallons of water by not having to irrigate. That said, I do realize that there are many other factors that effect crop yield, however many of those other factors are a result of having to deal with weather related problems. Good take on real world proxies. By the way, does that put you near Starkville? |
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 20, 2010 20:56:02 GMT
I'm thinking about doing this every week so folks will have the ability to track trends. Those are available at USDA of course, but it's a lot to plow thru. And yes, about 40 miles.  Why do you ask? |
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Post by hunterson on Jul 20, 2010 21:48:12 GMT
I'm thinking about doing this every week so folks will have the ability to track trends. Those are available at USDA of course, but it's a lot to plow thru. And yes, about 40 miles. Why do you ask? I was born in Starksville, my people settled Leake county (near Carthage) and I spend a lot of time on the coast. some of ancestors founded Hattiesburg and Gulfport. so I do have an abiding interest in the region.... |
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 20, 2010 22:14:02 GMT
Howdy, neighbor ;D . I'm not a MS native (wife is ) . We retired here about 10years ago, and haven't regreted one second of it. I just checked the link I gave to DTN in the original post, and they've put it behind a paywall, or moved it, so in the future I'll link directly to the USDA site for their weekly reports. www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp . I may try to summarize it in subsequent posts if there's an interest among the folks here. |
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Post by scpg02 on Jul 21, 2010 1:12:55 GMT
Howdy, neighbor ;D . I'm not a MS native (wife is ) . We retired here about 10years ago, and haven't regreted one second of it. I just checked the link I gave to DTN in the original post, and they've put it behind a paywall, or moved it, so in the future I'll link directly to the USDA site for their weekly reports. www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp . I may try to summarize it in subsequent posts if there's an interest among the folks here. I go by the handle farmfriend on other forums. I was the Legislative Director for the California State Grange. More simply, paid lobbyist for an agricultural organization. Thus the farmfriend. |
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Post by hunterson on Jul 22, 2010 1:33:13 GMT
Howdy, neighbor ;D . I'm not a MS native (wife is ) . We retired here about 10years ago, and haven't regreted one second of it. I just checked the link I gave to DTN in the original post, and they've put it behind a paywall, or moved it, so in the future I'll link directly to the USDA site for their weekly reports. www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp . I may try to summarize it in subsequent posts if there's an interest among the folks here. Nice! MS is one of the hidden treasures of the US. I look forward to seeing how things go in NE MS, as well as how the crops go this year of difficulties. |
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Post by hunterson on Jul 22, 2010 1:34:02 GMT
Howdy, neighbor ;D . I'm not a MS native (wife is ) . We retired here about 10years ago, and haven't regreted one second of it. I just checked the link I gave to DTN in the original post, and they've put it behind a paywall, or moved it, so in the future I'll link directly to the USDA site for their weekly reports. www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp . I may try to summarize it in subsequent posts if there's an interest among the folks here. I go by the handle farmfriend on other forums. I was the Legislative Director for the California State Grange. More simply, paid lobbyist for an agricultural organization. Thus the farmfriend. So you are a renaissance person fer sure. |
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Post by hairball on Jul 22, 2010 11:46:39 GMT
Sorry to go off topic. Here in Ireland more than ¼ of Greenhouse Gas emissions are from agriculture. Half of this is methane, presumably from animal flatulence and waste.
A little less than half is nitrous oxide. I understand than some proportion of this is from artificial fertilizer, but that simply tilling the soil will produce N2O without any artificial chemicals involved. Anyone know if I'm wrong about this or what the proportions are? I can't find the numbers anywhere.
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 22, 2010 12:04:27 GMT
Howdy, neighbor ;D . I'm not a MS native (wife is ) . We retired here about 10years ago, and haven't regreted one second of it. I just checked the link I gave to DTN in the original post, and they've put it behind a paywall, or moved it, so in the future I'll link directly to the USDA site for their weekly reports. www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/index.asp . I may try to summarize it in subsequent posts if there's an interest among the folks here. Nice! MS is one of the hidden treasures of the US. I look forward to seeing how things go in NE MS, as well as how the crops go this year of difficulties. This year and last, the major cash crop in the county has been soybeans, which are doing quite well. Which, of course, doesn't always translate into profit for the farmer. It's always a gamble involving the commodity markets and international competition. Gravel pits are also doing pretty good, money wise. Several of my neighbors have them and selling dirt is often a better deal than growing crops. A few also have producing gas and oil wells on their property. No windmills tho . |
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Post by hunterson on Jul 22, 2010 12:07:38 GMT
No windmills tho So the birds are not getting sliced and diced yet. |
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 22, 2010 13:54:50 GMT
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 22, 2010 14:14:24 GMT
Sorry to go off topic. Here in Ireland more than ¼ of Greenhouse Gas emissions are from agriculture. Half of this is methane, presumably from animal flatulence and waste. A little less than half is nitrous oxide. I understand than some proportion of this is from artificial fertilizer, but that simply tilling the soil will produce N2O without any artificial chemicals involved. Anyone know if I'm wrong about this or what the proportions are? I can't find the numbers anywhere. You may be able to find some pertinent info here regarding the US. Don't have a clue about the UK. www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/pdf2010/fpl_2010_heath001.pdfForest Products Lab Home: www.fpl.fs.fed.us/index.phpAnd the USDA home page for more info that you will have to dig for yourself : www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome |
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Post by stranger on Jul 22, 2010 23:34:27 GMT
George, Mississippi's mourning doves have a median lifespan of 5.5 months, and hunting does not much affect their population. What does is the same thing that killed the passenger pigeon, habitat destruction. The passengers were adapted to a mast diet, and when the oak climax forests were cut the passengers died of starvation. Fortunately, it does not appear there will be fewer acres of grain planted any time soon.
That is the reason our turkey numbers are still growing. There are far more wild turkey now than there were in 1800, if the records can be believed. If we could persuade more people to hog hunt, the turkey population would explode, because the feral pigs get more birds than hunters. I don't know what the wife's granny would say about turkeys nesting with the hens, though.
Stranger
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Post by curiousgeorge on Jul 23, 2010 1:24:10 GMT
George, Mississippi's mourning doves have a median lifespan of 5.5 months, and hunting does not much affect their population. What does is the same thing that killed the passenger pigeon, habitat destruction. The passengers were adapted to a mast diet, and when the oak climax forests were cut the passengers died of starvation. Fortunately, it does not appear there will be fewer acres of grain planted any time soon. That is the reason our turkey numbers are still growing. There are far more wild turkey now than there were in 1800, if the records can be believed. If we could persuade more people to hog hunt, the turkey population would explode, because the feral pigs get more birds than hunters. I don't know what the wife's granny would say about turkeys nesting with the hens, though. Stranger I know about the doves. My attempt at humor . I bag a hundred or so every year on my acres - good eats. ;D Also have turkey, deer, and assorted other critters that live here (fox, coon, owls, hawks, armadillo, ground hog, cottonmouth, etc. ). Some of the game ends up in the freezer, some are varmints, and some are neither. Generally speaking we all get along pretty well most of the time. I don't hunt for sport or trophy, btw. Haven't seen any sign of wild pig in the neighborhood, but they are in some surrounding counties, so I expect I will someday. |
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Why do you ask?
