Industry reacts to Census of Agriculture data

Feb 21, 2024

The census results should be a wakeup call, the New York Farm Bureau says

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Some ag industry members are sounding the alarm following the USDA’s release of the 2022 Census of Agriculture.

Overall, the census counted 141,733 fewer U.S. farms in 2022 than it did in 2017. The questionnaire also found more than 20 million acres that were used for ag production in 2017 are no longer in use.

That land loss is comparable to removing an area of land the size of South Carolina.

Given these numbers, and how census data differs between states, organizations like the New York Farm Bureau are calling on the U.S. ag sector to pay attention to what’s happening in American ag.

“The numbers do not come as a surprise but should be a renewed wakeup call for the state,” David Fisher, New York Farm Bureau president, said in a statement.

Production costs in New York are up.

Labor costs, for example, saw a 41 percent increase.

More needs to be done to ensure the vitality of the industry, which supports everyone, Fisher said.

The loss of farmland and food production has major impacts on the economy and quality of life for all New Yorkers. We must work together to reverse this trend, include passing a strong farm bill that supports New York's diverse agriculture.”

Virginia has also experienced a decrease in its number of farms and number of acres in production.

Since 2017, the commonwealth lost about 4,000 farms and almost 500,000 acres of land.

This trend means farming in Virginia will become more expensive.

“It becomes more and more difficult to purchase or rent farmland where the remaining producers can continue to produce their crops and raise their livestock,” Tony Banks, senior assistant director with the Virginia Farm Bureau, told WHSV.

Some officials are highlighting the benefits that came out of the census.

In North Carolina, for example, the number of industry newcomers is up.

“A highpoint for me in the data was the number of new and beginning producers (people with 10 or fewer years of experience) was up 13 percent from 2017,” Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler told SFN. “We have just shy of 23,000 new and beginning producers in agriculture.”

But a focus is also required on farmland conservation.

The American Farmland Trust ranks North Carolina second in the country for projected land loss by 2040.

“If we lose over a million of our 8.1 million acres of farm and forestland as is projected by 2040, it will significantly change the complexion of our state,” Troxler said.

Video: Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Turning Plant Defense Into a Management Strategy

Understanding how a plant responds to stress is one thing.

Using that knowledge to make better management decisions is another.

Systemic acquired resistance, or SAR, is the plant's more direct defense response. When stress or infection occurs, the plant begins signaling throughout its system and preparing defensive compounds.

But if we know that response exists, can we help prepare the plant before the stress arrives?

The answer starts with understanding what triggers the response and what the plant needs to carry it out.

The Trigger and the Fuel

Salicylic acid plays an important role in triggering the SAR pathway.

Think of it as turning the truck on.

The engine may be running, but it still needs fuel to do the work.

In this case, manganese plays an important role in supporting the enzyme systems involved in the plant's defensive response.

This makes manganese status an important part of the conversation. Whether a producer is using tissue testing, sap analysis, or simply scouting for visible deficiency symptoms, the goal is to make sure the plant has adequate manganese available.

Manganese is required in relatively small amounts, but that does not make its role small.

If the plant receives a signal to defend itself but lacks the nutrition needed to support that response, it may struggle to carry out the process efficiently.

The trigger matters.

The fuel matters too.

Prepare Before the Stress Arrives

The best time to think about stress management is before the plant is overwhelmed.

Once a crop is already struggling, management can quickly turn into a game of catch-up.

This is similar to nitrogen management. Once a plant becomes severely deficient, correcting the problem does not necessarily erase the time and yield potential already lost.

Plant defense can work the same way.

Low-rate, targeted approaches designed to support the SAR pathway may fit best ahead of an expected stress event rather than after significant damage has already occurred.

That requires producers to think about predictable stress.

We may not know exactly what the weather will do tomorrow, but we generally know summer heat is coming. We know certain field conditions increase disease pressure. We know a herbicide application can temporarily stress a crop as the plant processes the chemistry.

Even a properly timed and labeled herbicide application can create a temporary response in the plant.

That does not mean the herbicide is bad.

Weeds can create significantly more yield loss than the temporary stress caused by controlling them.

The question is not whether we should eliminate every stressor.

The question is whether we can better prepare the plant to manage necessary and predictable stress.

Not All Stress Is Bad

Stress is a normal part of plant growth.

A perfectly stress-free environment does not exist in the field.

In fact, some stress is necessary for normal plant development. A plant responds to wind, temperature, moisture, sunlight, and countless other environmental signals throughout the season.

The environment is stress.

The plant's job is to manage it.

Problems begin when the stress load becomes greater than the plant's ability to respond.

Extreme heat, drought, high salt concentrations, disease pressure, and even certain management practices can add to that load.

This is where understanding SAR becomes useful.

Instead of waiting until the plant is visibly struggling, producers can begin identifying periods when stress is likely and make management decisions around those windows.

ISR Starts With the Soil

While SAR is a more direct defense response, induced systemic resistance, or ISR, brings the conversation back to soil health.

The longevity of a farm is closely connected to the health of its soil.

Carbon plays a major role because it supports biological life within the soil. Bacteria, fungi, and other organisms interact with plant roots and influence how the plant grows, accesses nutrients, and prepares for stress.

This is why soil health cannot be reduced to one product or one application.

It is a system.

Keeping living plants in the field longer can support biological activity. Cover crops may fit some operations. Better water management can improve soil conditions.