Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with agriculture

Are meat and leather production correlated?

dkg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:29:02 -0800

What proportion of leather comes from animals whose other parts are ultimately consumed by humans for food? What proportion of leather-bearing food animals' skins are ultimately made into leather? How would i find out? I'd like to know how well-correlated meat and leather production are: are there leather-bearing animals whose bodies are discarded as scrap even though they could be eaten? or food-bearing animals whose skins are discarded as scrap even though they could be fashioned into clothing?

Do we (in the USA? in the world?) consume more animals for their meat or for their skins? If it's not evenly balanced, what happens to the unbalanced bits?

or am i wrong in assuming that all leather-bearing animals have flesh that could potentially be eaten for food? I'm fine with ignoring non-leather-bearing food animals for the purposes of this question.

How would i begin finding hard data on this? Comments and criticism to help me think about the question more clearly would be welcome too.

Is there more world hunger today or 200 years ago?

tnygard — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:10:48 -0800

Is there more world hunger today or 200 years ago, globally and in the USA? I am wondering if there is more world hunger today, or before the advent of modern agriculture. I am interested in this both globally and in the USA. It would be especially interesting to see how rates of hunger changed over time. So, for example, are there any estimates of how many people were hungry in 1800, 1850, 1900, 1950, and 2000? In addition to the raw numbers of people who are hungry, I am curious, given that there are so many more people now than in 1800, if we have more hungry people per capita. Does anyone have suggestions for researching this? Are there websites or books that have charted this issue? Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

How can I learn about and collect images of the seed signs that are posted along large agricultural fields?

refractal — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:46:37 -0800

Agriculture Industry Filter: After a recent drive across the mid-western United States, I became very intrigued by the variety of signs along the road that seemed to be trademark or branding markers for the types of seeds being grown in the various fields. (1) Does anyone know the purpose of these? (2) Seen a collection of them online? or (3) Know how one might properly refer to them in order to go about collecting images of them?

Tomatofilter: 2% chance I'm crazy; 98% chance something (good) is up with our country's tomatos.

jjjjjjjijjjjjjj — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:28:28 -0800

Tomato question: Did something happen late last Autumn that could have caused low-priced/budget tomatoes in (U.S.) fast-food restaurants and supermarkets to become radically better tasting? My perception of increased quality had a sudden onset, was not chain-specific, not geographically localized, and is shared by a handful of friends. (tl;drers, question is as stated above; the screed below is just the boring details. I suspect that help might come from food/soil/earth scientists, ag-economists, farmers, restaurant suppliers, or some other industry insider. Barring that, I suppose there's an outside chance that help might come in the form of two men in white coats dragging me to a rubber room.)

Last November a friend made a salad with sliced tomatoes that tasted amazing. I asked if she had sprung for some fancy brand or got them from a ritzy store; she said no, that they were the cheapest fresh type at the local chain supermarket. I didn't believe her but thought nothing of it at the time.

Within a few days I ordered a $2 burger at a fast food chain and was treated to a fucking amazing tomato there, as well. The floodgates then opened, and for, say, two weeks following, every tomato I ate (from whichever restaurant or grocery chain), tasted fantastic. At the time I chalked this up to some major regional (I live in St. Louis) supplier (Sysco?) stumbling onto a great shipment or something. Again, thought nothing further of it at the time.

At that point, and for the next 1.5 months, I traveled to: several New England states, Central Texas, and Northern California, eating at dives and fast-food joints for most every meal, and--I shit you not--in perhaps 70% of the meals I consumed was what I will call, for brevity "the SuperTomato".

I feel confident in the stark difference of the two; if you spend any amount of time eating tomatos, I'm betting that you'll agree that the difference between a "bad" and a "good" tomato is about as subtle as the difference between a whisper and a shout. The things I am describing taste like completely different things, it's not just a slight or stepwise increase in quality. I feel entirely confident that in a single-blind taste test I would correctly identify "SuperTomato" from "old-and-busted cheap tomato" 100 times out of 100.

My Question to food/soil/atmospheric scientists, agricultural economists, restaurant buyers and the like: Barring delusion on my part, what could be responsible for a flood of great tomatoes across the country at the bottom-end of the tomato pricing tier? This is either a real phenomenon, or the damndest case of my senses tricking me that I've ever seen.

Confirmation Bias? Maybe... hard to tell, obviously. But I've tried to screen for it at every step. I've asked, say, 8 friends and got 5 blank looks, 1 "yeah, now that you mention it", and 2 soul-piercing, thousand-yard stares of disbelief followed by a "You've noticed it, too?!"

I'm not a gastronome or a foodie or a "supertaster" or anything close. I'm just an average guy who eats average, cheap food. I have always eaten a normal amount of cheap store-bought tomatoes and until this happened, had uniformly normal reactions to them. I have no history of sensory hallucinations, no recent head-trauma, mental illness, or significant lifestyle changes. Please tell me what the fuck is up with my 'maters. Apologies for the length. Thanks.

What "green job" can I get with these plant science degrees?

bengarland — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:36:25 -0800

I have a BS in Horticulture (UGA) and will soon have an MS in Crop Science (NCSU). I've spent most of my life in school and now I'm nearing the end and need to know: What kind of jobs can these degrees help me get? First, a few caveats:

1) I'm moving to Portland, OR which is full of green jobs, sustainability initiatives, farmer's markets, and all of the wonderful agriculture in the Willamette Valley. Please constrain your suggestions to jobs that would potentially be available there (i.e. Portland, Gresham, Beaverton, Milwaukee, etc)

2) I would like a job that is in the city, accessible by bus or MAX. Ideally no more than 4 miles from the end of any transit line (I'm not willing to bike more than that, especially during the rainy season). Something with at least 40% of the time outside, interacting in the community, traveling, etc... I don't want to be stuck in front of a computer all day, every day.

3) I do not want to work for a greenhouse, in landscaping, turfgrass, etc. I'm looking for something more meaningful, related to helping the environment, community, farmers, etc. My ideal job title would be something along the lines of "Director of Agricultural/Environmental Sustainability" for Multnomah County (if that job even exists!).

4) Possibly relevant past experience includes: Worked for several years as a web/graphic designer, ran my own small business, served in the Air Force as a satellite communications technician, worked on organic agriculture projects in Latin America, speak Spanish fairly well.

NOTE: I'm not looking for actual, currently available jobs. Just pointers on what kind of positions I could look for, types of companies (or even specific names) that I should keep an eye on, search terms, etc. I have no idea where to start and/or get my foot in the door.

Thanks in advance for the help. It is a bit overwhelming to find a job when you don't even know what the options are!

How far can corn pollen drift in the wind?

tnygard — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:28:27 -0800

How far can corn pollen drift in the wind? 1 mile? 10 miles? Hi all, I am doing some writing about the history and current practice of breeding corn and have a question about pollen drift. When the 19th century breeder James Reid developed Yellow Dent Corn, which is the norm today, he gave seed to his neighbors so as to prevent pollen contamination of his field. Today when farmers seed Genetically Modified Organisms, one of the main concerns environmentally is that the pollen from these will drift into the fields of neighbors. So my question is how far can corn pollen drift in the wind? 1 mile? 10 miles? More? Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Farmer Cell Phone?

harnharn — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:34:12 -0800

Trying to find a cell phone for my Dad, a farmer, who spends lots of time in noisy barns and on the tractor. In both cases, the ring and vibration features of a normal phone don't register. Is there a sturdy, simple phone with a very powerful vibration function (ideally one that builds gradually, so it doesn't shock the user!)? One compatible with ATT would be ideal.

where can I buy open pollinated seeds?

Mayor Curley — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 07:46:54 -0800

Is there a place in eastern Massachusetts or southern New Hampshire where I can purchase open pollinated/heirloom seeds in person? Prefer Metro-West, but I'll go where the seeds are.

Where did flour come from?

allfortheBoss — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 08:21:32 -0800

Where did flour come from? So I was recently thinking about my diet and the un-natural components of it, and I started thinking about how weird it is that the staple of our diet is a ground up seed, that is then mixed with water and other stuff and baked. Seems sorta un-natural to me...Where did this idea start, what was going through the first guy(or girl)'s head when he/she took a wheat grain and ground it up and made a paste with it? Why did it happen? Where did it happen? How did it develop?

Science fiction that involves farming?

tnygard — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:29:31 -0800

Does anyone know of examples of science fiction about farming? I am especially interested in illustrated stories, movies, comic books, or anything with pictures. I think that looking at the history of farming in science fiction might be a fun way to show ideas about what the future might look like, tease out ethical questions, and see if predictions about farming came true. I am especially interested in visual culture, and stuff that would be citeable. Novels with illustrated covers, movies, comics, action figures, toys, would all be interesting. I am especially interested in 19th century America to the present, but if there is something good from the rest of the world that would be fun too.

I found examples of farms on the Tales of Future Past website, but there were no sources. Do any examples come to mind? Thanks for your insight!

http://davidszondy.com/future/farm/future_farm.htm

Critical thinking about food

parudox — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:39:20 -0800

What made you first think about how your food is produced? I want to know what books, websites, films, podcasts, experiences, and so on are best at getting people to start to pay some attention to where their food comes from. (In my case it was probably The Omnivore's Dilemma, followed by local farmers' markets, Deconstructing Dinner, etc. But I started off with an interest in food, so I might not be typical.)

It seems to me there is a big mental gap between conventional food and any alternative systems, and that it does take something substantial to bring about critical evaluation of food choices.

Agriculture research sample

shotgunbooty — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:14:13 -0800

Research-filter: Where to obtain a large sample of agriculture/agribusiness opinion leaders? Specifically: Industry leaders, government officials, various related association members, really any opinion leaders that have interaction with the agriculture world.

Ground Apples: To the apple-cider heap?

melissam — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:29:03 -0800

Apple picking: from the ground or the tree? So in Illinois when I've picked apples its been from the tree. Apples on the ground go to make cider such as in Robert Frost's poem After Apple Picking:

For all
That struck the earth,
No matter if not bruised or spiked with stubble,
Went surely to the cider-apple heap
As of no worth.

or just for the cows/groundhogs/local animals to eat.

So today I baked some apples and they didn't turn out so well (too tart for the recipes I made) and my Swedish roommates informed me that it was because I picked them from the tree. I know it's not true because I've made tons of great baked apples from other trees, but it did make me notice that I do see a lot of locals here picking apples off the ground. It seems kind of baffling to me, but I thought maybe it's because America has more of a problem with foodbourne pathogens?

Do they do this in the rest of Europe? What about different parts of America? Are the apples really better?

How does one legally identify meat as not for human use?

jesirose — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:44:46 -0800

How does one legally identify meat as not for human use? My state's Health and Safety Code says the following regarding Meat Inspection, under meat not intended for human use.

(b) A person may not buy, sell, transport, offer for sale or
transportation, or receive for transportation in intrastate
commerce a carcass, part of a carcass, meat, or a meat food product
that is not intended for use as human food unless the article is
naturally inedible by humans, denatured, or identified as required by rule of the commissioner.

I've looked up denature and that would not work in this case, as the meat needs to be edible still, but not for humans. I've been searching for days and I can't find the rule or regulation on how to identify meat as not for human use. Does "identified as required by rule of the commissioner" simply mean to identify it as in label it not for human use? It sounds like there is a specific way you have to do it but I can't find it.

Does anyone know what needs to be done, or where I could find the information on identifying meat as such so it can legally be sold? Specifically looking for Texas law but if I can get more info on any rules regarding this it would help.

I've already emailed the department of agriculture and waiting on a response, I am not sure who to call about this topic.

What does organic mean in practice?

parudox — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:51:06 -0800

What does "organic" mean in practice? Let's say we're talking about what Canada or the US think "organic" means in 2008. What can I expect the difference to be between the production methods of organic and regular milk, meat, eggs, wheat, sugar, coffee, bananas, etc.?

I'd specifically like to know the difference in practice, both for industrial operations and small farms. I'm assuming that practice differs from the ideal, but feel free to correct me.

Seeking Ag Blogs

youcancallmeal — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:14:49 -0800

What are the good sustainable agriculture blogs? Since interning at Greenmarket this summer, I've become very interested in sustainable agriculture. I don't want blogs about cooking or the politics of sustainability, I'm looking for blogs or other updated websites about the mechanics and techniques involved in this sort of farming, both in regard to plants and livestock.

Could US farmers go without subsidies?

andythebean — Sun, 04 May 2008 19:36:02 -0800

Could US farmers go without subsidies? Without subsidies, could farmers in the United States make a profit growing the crops that they currently do? If all farm subsidies were lifted tomorrow, how much crop production would be outsourced?

What's the carbon intensity of my diet?

bumpkin — Fri, 02 May 2008 20:50:33 -0800

Trying to conduct a carbon audit of the food going through a small sized cafeteria. Most of the information I have found is very general, sometimes vague, and the various footprint calculators I've seen are bad for providing sources. We have managed to compile invoices for a year for the operation, and identified suppliers. Although the general principles are clear (processed foods and imported out of season fruit are more carbon intensive), finding rigorously done analyses is proving frustrating. I have access to academic journals, so those kinds of sources could really useful. I also feel that there must be think-tank or non-profit research groups that have worked on this problem (eg. an outfit like Lester Brown's Worldwatch Institute). This is really out of my field, and I am not making much progress.

I have no evidence for this hypothesis.

clockzero — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 17:55:01 -0800

Is it possible that lactose intolerance is correlated in some way with the consumption of pasteurized milk? Or, maybe with some other feature of modern milk?

How much land does a person need?

sarahkeebs — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:42:44 -0800

What is (or how can I find) the maximum/average food value of x acres of farmland? I can find things about the increased land-per-person needed for meat-eaters and industrialized society, but no basic estimates of how much land is needed to feed a person, or how many people x amount of land can feed. I realize this would vary according to crop, climate zone, etc. I must be framing my searches incorrectly because Wikipedia, Google, and the UN Food and Agriculture Org. site yield nothing, which is too bizarre to be believed. With all the (largely internet-based) discussion of ecological footprints, I thought this info would be everywhere. Suggestions?

Recommend a CSA farm in Portland, please

dersins — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:02:56 -0800

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms in Portland (Oregon.) There are a lot of them. Anyone have any particular recommendations for or against? (CSA, for those who might have been wondering.)

Black Walnuts and snow?

cedar — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 18:20:38 -0800

I need to pick, purchase and plant a tree (larger is better) as a memorial. The planting part I can handle and equipment is readily available but I we don't know what species to buy. The tree will be planted on an exposed slope in north central NY. This is the snowbelt and and considering the elevation extreme winter weather is a given. Drainage and soil conditions shouldn't be a problem. The consensus is to pick a hardwood with Black Walnut a favorite -- will a black walnut grow in these conditions? If not, what will? Cost is not a huge factor and I'm aware that this will not be inexpensive.

Buying Local Meat in Chicago

fancypants — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 07:57:04 -0800

Where can I buy locally-raised meat and dairy products in Chicago? I am looking for places where I can purchase locally-farmed meat and dairy products in Chicago (preferably North Side, but I'm willing to travel a bit). I know that Green City Market has lots of stuff, but I'm hoping for something that's year-round and a bit more consistant. Specifically, I'm looking for eggs, milk, beef and chicken and while I know I can get organic stuff at Whole Foods, I'm very interested in eating more locally-produced foods.

Where are the ground cherries

Slimemonster — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 22:08:09 -0800

Where can I buy Ground cherries (gooseberries?) in Seattle? I've looked at a bunch of websites, grocery stores and farmer's markets and I can't seem to find ground cherries in Seattle at all. I'm growing some on my balcony but I don't want to wait another 60 days to taste them. Thursday morning, I'm gonna try Pike Place, but if that doesn't work, where should I go? If you know any recipes also, please share...I've never been so fascinated with a fruit I've never tasted before.

How can I learn to plant a healthy garden?

odinsdream — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:25:24 -0800

Please share resources for learning about, selecting, and planting a garden given a particular climate and soil. I'm moving soon, and the yard has great potential. I enjoy growing plants, but technically I know very little about what I grow. Some of my plants thrive, others wither and die.

I'd like to learn more about how to effectively select plants for a given soil type and climate. Of course, I'll also need to learn how to describe and understand my soil (nitrates, pH, hardness, water retention?), and climate.

What are some good resources for learning about what I want to plant, when to plant it, and how to care for it, with a good deal of technical reasoning to back it up?

By the way, I'm interested in herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Thanks!