I can't prove this except I heard it on the radio (Orion Samuelson on WGN in Chicago). They never lie, do they? Orion was talking about the changes in Agriculture in the USA. His comment caught me off guard. Of the 50 Billion plus total agriculture economy nationwide, 15 billion of it is Horticulture. That would be about a third.
He said that compared to agronomic crops like beans, corn, wheat, oats Horticulture is a larger economic component of the total ag sales.
I knew that the screw was turning. I didn't know it had already turned.
Think about it. In my lifetime, (I was going to say short but I don't anymore) production agronomic agriculture has been eclipsed by intensive horticultural production. Certainly on fewer acres but with much larger dollars per acre.
I think this is a good thing. It means that subsidies should be examined. It means that states like North Dakota should think about the structure of it’s agricultural economy.
It does make me wonder about my alma mater, North Dakota State University. A land grant college. The school where I got my 4 year degree (in 5) in Horticulture 40 years ago. When I first attended it was North Dakota Agriculture College. We had a department. Dr Lana. Hundreds of students.
Then, Horticulture became part of plant sciences. Then something else. Now it's nearly non-existent.
Horticulture eclipses Agronomy nationwide. NDSU deletes Horticulture as a curricula.
Something is seriously wrong with this picture. Joe Chapman (a good guy) who is the current President of NDSU is thinking about leaving. Maybe the next guy will have a deeper passion about this new agriculture that North Dakota doesn't even realize exists.
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