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Toward an understanding of optimal geographic
production considering economics and
environmental constraints to sustain U.S.
agricultural production
NIFA-NSF EASM / NIFA Landuse Planning
Richard McNider 1, Gerrit Hoogenboom2, Richard Marcus 3, Grover
Ward4, Amelia Ward4, Lee Ellenburg1 ,
John Christy 1 , Jeff Mullen5 , James Cruise 1, Cameron Handyside 1,
Josue Medillin-Azuara6
in collaboration with
Steve McNulty, Gee Sun and Peter Caldwell U.S. Forest Service
University of Alabama in Huntsville1, U. of Florida2, California State
University Long Beach3, University of Alabama4, University of
Georgia5, University of California Davis6
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While almost everyone in the climate
change community has expressed
concern about the impact of climate
change on agriculture, less has been
discussed about agricultural change in
the last century in the U.S. which makes
agriculture vulnerable to climate.
The drought of 2012 in the Midwest and
the current Western drought expose
this vulnerability
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1930
The underlying map shows precipitation.
We have moved production away from the Nation’s water and
concentrated grain production in a small part of the upper
Midwest.
Is this a sustainable geography for U.S. agricultural production?
2013
CornCorn
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What drove this dramatic shift in agricultural
production ?
Search for Consistent Water for Production
and Transportation
Deep Water Holding Soils in Midwest and
Irrigated Agriculture in the West
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Most areas could not compete with Midwest yields so
that areas like the Southeast gave up on corn.
Fraction of
1950
Acres
Planted
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The end result is that we have concentrated nearly 90%
of the nation’s corn production in an area not much
bigger than the State of Texas
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Irrigation also drove the migration of agriculture
Potato production became concentrated in the Snake River Valley
so that Maine, New York and Pennsylvania lost their production.
Irrigated cotton in California, New Mexico and Arizona drove
Southern Cotton farmers out of business.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Ac
re
s u
nd
er Irrig
ati
on
Western States
Great Plains
Total
Irrigated
Acres
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0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
1950
1952
1954
1956
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
Planted Acres of Cotton - Alabama
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Fruit and vegetable production has been
concentrated in the river basins of the arid west
25% of all Vegetables
(including potatoes) and 50%
of Fresh Vegetables Grown In
California
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1984
The Economic Viability of Commercial
Fresh Vegetable · Production in the
Northeastern United States
John W. Wysong, Mary G. Leigh, and Pradeep Ganguly
Even as recently as 1950, USDA data indicated
that the Northeast region accounted for 21 percent
of the total U.S. commercial vegetable production.
However, by 1980, that proportion was down to
only seven percent
In 1950 the Northeast Produced ~ 21%
of Commercial Fresh Vegetables –
about what California does today.
By 1980 it had been reduces to 7%
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In a positive sense, the migration of agriculture
discussed above produced an abundant variety
of food at a low price.
Remarkable results in grain production allowed
prime cuts of meat to be a mainstay of America’s
diet.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts grown almost
year around in deserts displaced locally grown
seasonal vegetables and canned goods.
However, it did not consider long term water
resource availability, environmental impact and
social impacts.
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Drought Monitor
August 7, 2012Midwest Drought of
2012 shows the danger
of concentration too
much of the Nation’s
agricultural production
in one region
The impact could have
been much worse because
this drought was short-
lived and was not centered
on the corn production
region
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Nutrient Loading in the Mississippi Basin
EPA is setting
reduction
targets for the
basin (Rabalais
2011).
For Iowa the
strategy, which is
voluntary for
farmers, calls for a
45 percent
reduction in
nitrogen and
phosphorus
pollution leaving
the state.
Nutrient Loading is also related to drought
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The Migration of Agriculture Left behind a
Swath of Poverty where Southern
Agriculture Collapsed
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The Honorable Andrew Young - "The farmers who
let us stay in their homes, who bonded us out of
jail, are old guys now. They still own land but they
can't make a living on the land."
In the descriptions of Selma when President
Obama’s visited Selma for the 50Th anniversary
of the Selma to Montgomery March the most
common was the shocking poverty.
However, there was little discussion of the
roots of this poverty – poor water holding soils
and the collapse of agriculture!
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Aggregate of climate models predict drying in the Southern
High Plains and Southwest but no change or an increase in
precipitation in the East and Southeast.
From IPCC 2007
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Even if anthropogenic climate change does not occur the
West may be in trouble.
Recent reconstruction of climate indicate that the past 70 years may
have been abnormally wet and future supply could be much less.
From Piechota et a. 2004
Abnormally
Wet
Piechota, T., J.Timilena, G.Toogle and H.Hidalgo, 2004:The western drought: How bad is it? EOS, 85, 32,
p301
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Impact of California Drought -2015 by Richard Howitt et al.
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The West may be caught in the “The Perfect Storm “
Short-term Drought
Reductions in snowpack and increased temperatures are driving
seasonal flows to record low levels
Ground Water Pumping
Ground water throughout the West is being depleted
Exhausted Water Storage
The major southwestern reservoirs - Lakes Powell and Mead, fell
nearly 50 percent between 1999 and 2004 and have not risen
significantly since.
Population Growth
Population continues at an accelerating pace in parts of the West
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Shifts in Crops Due to Water Reductions
Medellin-
Azuara et al.
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Nutrition Danger of Reduced Water in California
Crops which are
inelastic to
water changes
are often for
crops where the
market price is
endogenous or
controlled by
California
Crops which are
sensitive to water
changes are often
for crops where the
market price is
exogenous or
controlled outside
California
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It is proposed that a more distributed geography of grain
production should be evaluated in terms of economic
viability and environmental impact.
This would reduce impacts of future regional
droughts in the Midwest and potentially help solve
some nutrient loading on the Mississippi and perhaps
future disease concerns.
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Palmer Drought Severity
Index
1934
Palmer Drought Severity
Index
1954
While Some Droughts Can be
National in Scope that is Usually the
Exception
July July
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September 1978 July 1986
More often droughts in the U.S. occur on a smaller scaleIn fact due to stationary weather patterns (synoptic scale)
that Midwest and Southeast droughts are often out of
phase.
This argues for a more distributed
geographical production in agriculture.
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.
• There should be consideration of migrating some
of the Southwest’s agriculture back to the East or
Northwest.
This would protect the nation’s vegetable
production in a region which will likely be water
limited in the future.
It would allow continued environmental
restoration.
.
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Can migrating agriculture to the Southeast
with expanded irrigation be a sustainable
solution for the Nation’s future agricultural
security ?
Is it economically viable?
Is it environmentally sustainable?
• Will expanded irrigation harm the
region’s water resources?
• Will water quality be harmed?
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Considering all uses of water – the Eastern
U.S. has far more available water
WaSSI –
Demand to
Supply Ratio 1950-2010
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Corn Yield Estimated by DSSAT Crop Model for Coastal Plain Soils in South Alabama
Irrigated
Rainfed
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Can Southeast really compete with Iowa in grains?
If we include transportation cost – Yes!
Economics
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Southeast has also in depleted ground water in
some locations. In part, because of Riparian
Rertrictions on moving water
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Improving Crop Model – Hydrologic Model (GriDSSAT/WaSSI)
1. Added Reservoirs for Southeast
2. Improved soil inputs
3. Developed aerial irrigation inventory/ Coupled to Cropscape
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Mean Demand to Supply Ratios – 1950-2010
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Maximum Demand to Supply Ratios and Year (1951-2010)
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12/22/2016 38
Percent of Time Watersheds Are Not Stressed (1951-2010)
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DSSAT Irrigation Demand is coupled to WaSSI Hydrological model
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Historic MaximumWaSSI Results during Growing
Season(1915-2011)
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0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Number Months WaSSI exceeds 0.40(1915 to 2011)
IRRIGATION_NOT_INCLUDED IRRIGATION_INCLUDED
Small percent of time
argues for intermittent
withdrawal restrictions
but use of water for
irrigation most of the
time.
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Shifts in Crops Due to Water Reductions
Medellin-
Azuara et al.
Will add SE
as another
production
basin for
cotton, rice
and other
crops.
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Climate can totally change agriculture and society
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Shifts in Crops Due to Water Reductions
Medellin-
Azuara et al.
Will add SE
as another
production
basin for
cotton, rice
and other
crops.
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Summer
Flows are
Low
Environment – while East has much more
water than the west its ecosystems evolved
based on large amounts of water
Irrigation Model
Use on
Farm
storage
ponds
How will
flood
Plains be
Impacted?
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Lower Mississippi
flow greater than 400
million acre-ft per yearMississippi River could
support all of the current
irrigation in Arkansas,
Mississippi and Louisiana
using less than 3% of the flow
Arizona, California, Colorado
New Mexico, Nevada basically
consume all of the Colorado
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Climate can totally change agriculture and society
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