Earth Day is Friday, April 22, and the farm and ranch families of Oklahoma Farm Bureau are available to answer questions and help Oklahoma celebrate this annual event.
Despite the prolonged drought, today’s farmland is not blowing away. Even though it is drier than it was in the notorious “Dirty ‘30’s” or Dust Bowl days, we do not see huge piles of dirt in the ditches or large dust clouds on the horizon. Thanks to improved farming methods, more of the land’s soil is staying in place and giving farmers a chance to produce food with limited natural resources.
Did you know:
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers have enrolled 862,774 acres in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), protecting highly erodible land and the environment while also providing habitat for wildlife.
On a national level, U.S. land used for crops has declined by 70 million acres since 1982. Conservation tillage, a farming method that reduces erosion on cropland while using less energy, has grown from 17 percent of acreage in 1982 to 63 percent today.
America’s farmers and ranchers are doing their part to feed a growing world. Total U.S. crop yields have increased more than 360 since 1950.
Careful stewardship by America’s food producers spurred a nearly 50 percent decline in erosion of cropland by wind and water since 1982.
Farmers have voluntarily enrolled 31 million acres in the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program to date making it the largest public-private partnership for conservation and wildlife habitat in the U.S.
Such modern production tools as global positioning satellites, biotechnology, conservation tillage and integrated pest management enhance farm and ranch productivity while reducing the environmental footprint.
For a list of farmers and ranchers willing to discuss how they are protecting the environment on Earth Day and every day, contact Sam Knipp, (405) 523-2347 or sam.knipp@okfb.org
