Pub. 4 2014 Issue 3

9 MINING FOCUS • In 1987, the same amount of corn took three hours of work and only a little more than an acre of land. • Twenty years later, in 2007, it was possible to grow 100 bushels of corn on less than an acre of land. The improvements in U.S. farming meant that duringWorld War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, more food was available than otherwise would have been. During the lean- est years, many people did not have much money. But if they lived on a farm or knew how to grow crops, they had food on the table for their families. The farming situation began to change after World War II, when the number of U.S. farms began to decline between 1950 and 1997. A smaller number of farmers could grow more food, freeing people to leave their farms and find work elsewhere. Many people took the invitation to what they thought would be a better and easier life. There were 5.4 million U.S. farms in 1950. By 1997, only 1.9 million farms were left. Of course, large farms are not the only story. People also have an interest in small-scale and backyard farming. Food security is a good thing, especially when the food comes from your own backyard or a small farm within your community. But there is no doubt that the heavy lifting of providing food security in the U.S. and the world is done by a relatively small number of farmers through large-scale operations. And they need all the help they can get. Today, the number of U.S. farmers who farm for a living is less than two percent, and the number of people living in rural areas has decreased to 17 percent. One farmer can now feed 140 people. That increased productivity is the result of several factors, such as commercial fertilizers, hybrid seeds, and mechanization. It has never been more important for farm- ing to be efficient, which means a greater reliance on other industries that support it. One of those industries is mining. Mining makes modern agriculture possible by providing essential materials in every stage of farming, from fertilizers that improve crop survival and production to the minerals and metals used in farming equipment. As the global population continues to grow, miners and farmers will continue to work cooperatively to ensure we pro- duce an adequate food supply to feed the world. X