Commentary
Growing world population presents
challenge and opportunity for U.S. farmers
By Chris Policinski, President and CEO
Land O’Lakes Inc.
Editor’s note: This commentary is based on Policinski’s address at
the 2009 USDA Agriculture Outlook Forum. Land O’Lakes is a
farmer-owned food and agricultural cooperative with annual sales
of $12 billion.
he extraordinary increase in agricultural
productivity is one of America’s greatest —
yet least acknowledged — success stories. It’s
a story of creating opportunity for U.S.
producers, while also meeting our
responsibility to feed a hungry world.
For nearly 90 years, Land O’Lakes has been involved in
both sides of this story. As a producer-owned cooperative,
Land O’Lakes has been working to build agricultural
productivity and create opportunity for American farmers
since we were founded in 1921. On the global stage, for
nearly three decades, we have worked to alleviate the
devastating effects of hunger around the world through the
efforts of our International Development Division.
All of this has given Land O’Lakes a unique vantage point
and, as we look ahead, it’s clear that continuing to increase
agricultural productivity is a critical imperative. Today, the
world’s population is nearly 6.8 billion
people. By 2050, that number is expected to
surpass 9 billion. Given this rate of population growth, world
food production must double by 2050 to meet the increasing
demand, according to the United Nations’ Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Meeting the challenge
Providing food for an expanding population is the longterm
challenge before us. The key to meeting this challenge
is for U.S. agriculture and agribusiness to lead the way in
promoting continued productivity increases. Our
extraordinary track record demonstrates that we have both
the capacity and the commitment to accomplish this
ambitious goal.
Just consider, in 1930 the average U.S. farmer fed 10
people, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
In 1960, that farmer fed two dozen people. By 1990, the
figure reached the 100 mark. Today, the number is 155.
Looking specifically at some key areas of production,
average corn yields in the U.S. have increased from 20
bushels an acre in 1930 to more than 150 bushels today;
wheat yields have tripled since 1930; and per-cow milk
production has increased from 4,500 pounds per cow in 1930 to more than 20,000
today.
This dramatic surge in productivity has been driven by the adoption of modern
production and business management practices on the farm, and the ongoing
development and implementation of new agricultural technology. These advances
have allowed us to expand productivity while protecting the environment,
preserving precious resources for generations to come.
Telling our story
The story of American agricultural productivity is impressive, but ironically it
remains largely untold. American farmers are an independent and humble lot, not
given to beating their own drum. The fact is, if we’d seen this same kind of
progress in the auto industry, we’d all be getting 100 miles per gallon — and we’d
have heard plenty about it.
One of the ironies is that as we have learned to do more with less; only about 2
percent of the U.S. population is directly engaged in production agriculture. That
means there are fewer people to tell this story. It’s no wonder that there is a lack of
public understanding about the issues that are critical to our industry.
Today, the discussion of agricultural issues is often driven by well-intentioned
people who allow opinion, emotion and even nostalgia to fill “the information
gap.” As a result, even safe, proven technologies have encountered opposition.
Dr. Norman Borlaug, father of the green revolution and winner of the Nobel
Peace Prize, put the situation into perspective. Dr. Borlaug believes technology
can enable us to feed 10 billion people. But in his words: “The more pertinent
question is whether farmers and ranchers will be permitted to use this technology.”
This is a troubling observation, given that 70 percent of the needed increase in
global food production will have to come from advancing technologies, according
to the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
To protect the ability of producers to use safe, proven technologies, those of us
involved in any aspect of agriculture — producers, cooperatives, agribusinesses,
industry organizations, government agencies, academia — must work to educate
the public and policymakers about our industry.
As we work to realize the opportunities and meet the challenges ahead, I believe
the most important step we can take is to tell our story. Education and
understanding can drive public opinion and policy decisions that directly affect
producers. It’s our responsibility to ensure that these judgments are based on
sound science and accurate data — not fads, emotion, politics or social agendas.
