Nation's farmers to observe Ag Week

In observance of Ag Week next week, agday.org has released the following agricultural facts and profile of the American farmer:

• More than 3 million people farm or ranch in the U.S.

• Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99 percent of U.S. farms.

• More than 22 million people are employed in farm or farm-related jobs, including production agriculture, farm inputs, processing and marketing, and wholesale and retail sales.

• The 2002 Census of Agriculture shows 50 percent of farmers are 55 years of age or older, up just 3 percent from 1997. Average age of the principal operator is just over 55.

• Forty-one percent of the total U.S. land area is farm land (938.28 million acres). In 1900, the average farm size was 147 acres, compared to 441 acres today.

• The top five agricultural commodities are cattle and calves, dairy products, broilers, corn and soybeans.

• U.S. farmers produce 46 percent of the world's soybeans, 41 percent of the world's corn, almost 21 percent of the world's cotton and 13 percent of the world's wheat.

Farmers and ranchers are independent business people who provide for their families by growing and producing food and fiber.

They use modern production techniques to increase the quality and quantity of the food they produce.

In the 1960s, one farmer supplied food for nearly 26 persons in the U.S. and abroad. Today, one farmer supplies food to 144 people.

Agriculture is an industry undergoing change. Farmers and ranchers are producing meat lower in fat and cholesterol, resulting in retail cuts that are 15 percent leaner and that give consumers better value for their dollar.

As an example, a pork tenderloin now has only one more gram of fat than a skinless chicken breast.

Research and advancements in biotechnology are available in the marketplace through tastier fruits and vegetables that stay fresh longer and are not damaged by insects.

A new technique called "precision farming" boosts crop yields and reduces waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions.

Farm equipment also has evolved dramatically from the team of horses used in the early 1900s. Today's four-wheel-drive tractors have the power of up to 300 horses. This makes for a large capital investment, as farmers pay anywhere from $97,000 for an average 160-horsepower tractor to $170,000 for a four-wheel-drive model.

As the amount of mechanization and horsepower in farm machinery has increased, the time needed to complete tasks has decreased.

In the 1930s, before combines were available to harvest grains, a farmer could harvest an average of 100 bushels of corn by hand in a nine-hour day.

Today's combines can harvest 900 bushels of corn per hour -- or 100 bushels of corn in under seven minutes.

The efficiency of U.S. farmers benefits the consumer's pocketbook. Americans spend less on food than any other developed nation in the world. On average in 2004, Americans spent only 2 percent of their disposable income on meat and poultry, compared to just over 4 percent in 1970.