Yes, I write about farming.  Not often.  But, when I have something to offer, I share it.  (To be honest, the bulk of this post has been in my queue for a while- I was looking for some timely information to allow it the light of day.  Read on!)

And, today I will share a new census with you.  No, not the one that will (hopefully NOT) be asking if you are a citizen or not.

This is one effected by the US Department of Agriculture every five years.  And, that data shows that our diets have changed- which is forcing farmers to change their crops.  And, to be honest, what attracted me to this study is the finding that the largest growth in farming has been the acreage that is allotted to sweet potatoes.

How much more?  47,257 acres more.  (That’s an increase of almost 38% from 2012 to 2017.)  And, most of the sweet potatoes are coming from North Carolina.  (Yes, farmers have been dropping tobacco to accommodate the sweet potato crops they are now growing.)

Rice and sweet potatoes are my staples.  Unless I am having my favorite dinner (noodles and cottage cheese) or quinoa, black beans, jalapenos, and tomatoes- my plate has meat or fish- and rice and sweet potatoes.

You notice my plate never has white potatoes.  Sure, they used to be grown all over Suffolk County (Long Island, NY) before those farmers were chased away and the US turned its palate to Idaho potatoes.  But, I never liked those white things.

But, it’s not just sweet potatoes that is changing agriculture in America.  Spinach, romaine lettuce, squash, kale, cauliflower, and cucumbers are among the gainers.  And, while kale planting only grew by 25,000 acres, that’s a 150% increase from 2012 plantings.

And, what about things our diets have cut out?

One of the biggest losers in acreage has been that devoted to sweet corn (to the tune of 75,972 acres, a 13.3 % drop in acreage).   That was the second most-planted crop in the USA.  Followed by snap beans, peas, and potatoes.  (Yay!  Fewer potatoes!!!)

What else about this report was interesting?   Well, it’s not surprising at all that the biggest single expense is the cost of their livestock or feed.  But the cost of hired labor, fuel, and interest were also substantial costs.

Interestingly, the number of gentleman farms (at least that’s what they were called in Charlottesville) are increasing. But, those small plot farms (1 to 9 acres) are not going to make a dent in the agricultural output of the US.  The only other gain among farm businesses have been the megafarms- those that comprise 2000 or more acres.  Which also explains why there have been drops (big ones) in the more traditional family farm- those with 50 to 179 acres, and 180 to 499 acres- they’ve been incorporated – or subsumed- by the megafarms.

By the way, the data this year  (I wonder how the government will do it’s  ‘seasonal corrections’)  is going to be highly skewed.  As of right now, the bulk of our farmland is so waterlogged from the incessant flooding  that corn can’t be planted.

(Sorry, GOP-ers [that is the home of science deniers!]- climate change is real.  Oh, and we changed the name from global warming NOT because it’s not warming, but because you have such a poor understanding of science that you didn’t realize that when most of the earth heats up, parts of it still get colder- unfortunately, not where the ice pack is needed and melting.)