Gene,
I agree with your statement on the trans-Mississipi states. True, on an
areal basis, GPS usage is probably much more prevalent. On a production
basis, I suppose it is even more so. However, on a per farm basis, the
numbers should fall significantly. Those are the farmers I refer to who
would be more likely to rate their success in t/ha rather than kg/m2. So
the question is, are we all about converting land areas or farmers?
As for the distribution of farm sizes, that would make an interesting
little research project if one had the time. I suppose that between the
USDA and the Census Bureau such data is available. Your definition of
mom&pop farms is a bit more restrictive than mine; even in the 50s, my
grandfather stuck to grain production on his ~10-15 ha of arable land.
He gave up his livestock (cows, hogs, chickens) and vegetable garden
after my grandmother died, though my folks used the vegetable garden
during that decade. Now, that stretch of Ohio is that last bit of
meso-scale farmland along I-75 between Toledo and the City of
Dayton-Cincinnati.
In the area of Tennessee where our farmland (timber) is, it is rare to
see "level" fields more than 5 ha in size; most are in the 1-2 ha
bracket. Hills, you know.
Jim
Gene Mechtly wrote:
>
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2001, James R. Frysinger wrote:
>
> > Note the limitation to the "large flat fields of Illinois".
>
> The grain fields of Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, etc. probably have
> equal or even larger fractions of GPS deployment than Illinois.
>
> > Sorta leaves a lot of other farmland out.
>
> Some, in hilly states like Tennessee, but not a lot by area totals.
>
> > Yes, agribusiness lives closer to the cutting edge than mom&pop farms.
>
> There are virtually *no* mom & pop farms left in the US (with at least
> milk cows, beef cows, pigs, and chickens, at least one or more of each,
> and a large vegetable garden and fruit orchards as on my grandfather's
> farm, circa 1900 - 1950), even in Ohio, Tennessee, and S.C. Correct me
> with census data if they exist to prove the contrary.
>
> Gene.
--
Metric Methods(SM) "Don't be late to metricate!"
James R. Frysinger, CAMS http://www.metricmethods.com/
10 Captiva Row e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Charleston, SC 29407 phone/FAX: 843.225.6789
