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Wyoming's Agricultural Economy

Wyoming's Natural Resources

Wyoming is known for its vast amounts of natural resources. The most popular natural resources of Wyoming are the ones that keep our country running. These resources are coal, oil, and wind, but there is one resource missing. The most overlooked natural resource of Wyoming is its extensive amount of grasslands. Wyoming’s grasslands are a lot more important than some people might think. Sure grass doesn’t start up your car or keep your house running, but it has a more important role. Wyoming’s grasslands keep the state and our nation’s agriculture running and its citizens from going hungry. The immense amount of grasslands across eastern Wyoming, allows a massive amount of cattle to roam and graze across the prairies. About 48% of Wyoming’s land area is grassland that allows cattle to roam across almost half of the entire state . With food prices rising and the human population growing, it is important that humans utilize these grasslands to try and stop the threat to the world’s food security.

The cattle industry is by far the biggest component of Wyoming’s agriculture. According to Carlienne Frisch, author of the book Wyoming, “Due to a low precipitation percentage and short growing seasons, Wyoming is a hard state to grow crops with only 12% of the state farmable .” As you can see, the state of Wyoming is meant to raise livestock. With Wyoming’s boundless amount of grassland, it seems like there is an endless amount of cattle. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there were 1.3 million cattle in the state of Wyoming in 2011 . Now, According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Wyoming’s population was 544,270 in 2011 . Compared to the Wyoming cattle inventory, there are approximately 2.5 cattle to every person, giving Wyoming the nickname the “beef surplus” state . That is why the grasslands of Wyoming mean so much to the state and the nation. As you could probably guess from the population difference of cows and humans, Wyoming is a major producer in beef. Wyoming ranks 15th in the nation for beef produced at about 695,000 cattle in 2011 . Since there are not as many crops in Wyoming compared to other states, beef is crucial to the Wyoming agriculture. To keep the state of Wyoming running, the state needs the grasslands. Without the grasslands, there would hardly be any cattle in Wyoming and the states agriculture would diminish. The grasslands of Wyoming aren’t just crucial for the state. They are also critical for the nation as well. With the growing population, researchers are seeing food shortages all over the world. With Wyoming being a major contributor to the beef industry, they play a major component on keeping up with the growing population. If Wyoming lost its grasslands, the states economy would significantly decrease. But, the big picture is what would happen to the nation and the entire world. It is said that if a major environmental disaster happened to any state that is a major contributor of beef, that there could be a major food shortage . Wyoming’s grasslands could have a major affect on the nation’s possible food security crisis. According to the Wyoming Beef Counsel, the Wyoming cattle count decreases on average of 1.5% . Now, that might not seem much right now, but as the years go by that can count up and we could be on a verge of a crisis.

Wyoming’s agriculture would almost be non-existent if it weren’t for the states natural resources. Not only does Wyoming’s agriculture rely off the grasslands, but so does the entire nation. It is not just the population growth that is causing pandemonium in the world’s food security. There is also a greater demand for more Grade-A meat then there ever has before. The Wyoming Beef Counsel predicts that, “the global demand for premium protein is expected to increase 68% by 2018 .” Americans on average consume 67 pounds per person, per year. That is a whole lot of beef. Even with all of the countries producing beef at their peak rate, will that be enough to satisfy the worlds hunger. Even with lush grasslands not only in Wyoming, but across the nation feeding our cattle to be the best premium cut they can be will that satisfy the demand. “Modern agriculture has brought significant increases in food production. But the benefits have been spread unevenly and have come at an increasingly intolerable price .” There have been outbreaks in the science community where new fertilizers are being created to help the cattle reach their maximum build. Even with today’s modern sciences, grasslands all over the world will be the main source of livestock growth. Grasslands are the catalyst to Wyoming’s agriculture. Without the grasslands, not only would the United States of America be in a food crisis.

Without Wyoming’s grasslands, the states agricultural imports and exports would be dramatically diminished.

Wyoming's Agricultural Exports and Imports

According to the World Food Summit of 1996, food security is defined as, “When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life Food security. .” Food security is measured by the amount of population considered not to have the means to buy “sufficient, safe, nutritious food.” This population is said to have food insecurities. Wyoming has proven time and time again that its food insecurities are well below the national average of 14.5% Economic research service . According to Household Food Security in the United States, USDA report, Wyoming had a food insecurity rate of 12% in 2009 and dropped that rate to 11.5% in 2010 Economic research service . This report shows that Wyoming is improving its food security rate year by year.

Wyoming is such a state that, through exports has shown a trend in increasing economic stability the last two years. Wyoming’s Gross Domestic Product (WGDP) rose by 5.4% according to The Billings Gazette . This is in part due to Wyoming’s agricultural commodities. Production of livestock and crops, such as cattle and hay, has provided firm economic stability of which Wyoming can rely on to stay ahead of competitors during this economically stressful time. Beef has been Wyoming’s number one market seller. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service shows a graph displaying the top five commodities in Wyoming as cattle, hay, hogs, sugar beets, and sheep . These commodities provide income to citizens of the state as well as supplement the state’s revenue through taxes.

Top 5 agriculture commodities, 2010
	Value of receipts thousand $	Percent of state total farm receipts	Percent of US value
1. Cattle and Calves	732,883	62.5	1.4
2. Hay	122,520	10.5	2.3
3. Hogs	71,070	6.1	0.4
4. Sugar Beets	44,252	3.8	2.7
5. Sheep and Lambs	34,604	3.0	6.5
All commodities	1,172,012		0.4

The USDA Economic Research Service’s graph also states that in 2010, cattle were Wyoming’s top market seller gaining approximately 62.5% of the total agriculture commodity . Most of the cattle grown on Wyoming soil are exported out to other states, either for a trade in manufactured goods trade or strictly for profits. This cycle of exportation and importation is needed to support Wyoming’s economic stability and growth.

Hay is the second largest commodity Wyoming has to offer. In 2010, according to the USDA Economic Research Service, Wyoming garnished a $122,520 annual profit from hay . As told earlier, hay sold in state goes to help the production of cattle, hogs, and other livestock. This input of resources into the economic system helps boost the trend that consumers need to buy and sell commodities through exports and imports in order to gain manufactured goods within the state of Wyoming. The buying of goods then helps America’s economy by putting value back into the market, so Wyoming’s economic stability helps America gain ground on economic stability for itself.

To finish the commodity report, the USDA Economic Research Service reports that hogs, sugar beets, and sheep make up the rest of Wyoming’s top five agricultural commodities . The same report shows that these products annually accrued approximately $150,000 combined . Along with the monetary data the report states that hogs carried 6.1% of Wyoming’s agricultural value, while sugar beets held 3.8%, and sheep held 3.0% in 2010 . Sugar beets are a rare commodity within Wyoming because the plant is one of the only commodities the state grows used to manufactured agriculture goods the state grows. Having little to no manufacturing, except outside of select minerals, Wyoming must import many of its basic food needs. This is not so with sugar. Thanks to sugar beet farming, Wyoming is able to manufacture and produce sugar, which in turn can be sold internally at local markets, and exported internationally for economic profit.

With every news station reporting the world’s inevitable demise into an economic apocalypse, one should realize that such dreary outcomes are simply not true. With Asia supplementing a low United States market, the world’s economy is slowly recovering and making a strong comeback. To help this cause are some states that have agricultural producers that support a strong economy. To help support a strong economy is Wyoming’s agricultural production of cattle, hay and a multitude of other livestock and crops. Wyoming’s economic future is bright, as is the world’s if an agriculturally supported economy continues.

Now that we’ve discussed what Wyoming’s agricultural economy looks like, lets discuss three issues incorporated within Wyoming’s agricultural economy. Let us begin by discussing the issue of Wyoming’s diminishing youth labor force.

Wyoming's Diminishing Youth Labor Force

Wyoming has a thriving agricultural community that is comprised mostly by small, family-owned farms. These 11,000 Wyoming farms produce more than 1,536,240 acres of farmland harvest every year . In 2010, Wyoming harvests led to a yearly net income of $126,343 (yearly net income is defined as the net value added to each farm over the last year . Of the 11,000 Wyoming farms, 8,784 of them (approximately 79.4 %) are currently owned and operated by families and individuals. The breakdown of the population that is currently working the farms is 9,465 men and 1,604 females .

A current trend that is challenging the communities of Wyoming is the decreasing number of family-based, young-adult laborers. Most farms are family owned (approximately 79.4 %) which means that this trend will become an increasing disruption to the inheritance-based passage of farm labor between generations. Traditionally, the farms and ranches would be passed down from the parents to their kids who have grown up working on the farms and therefore know how to operate the family farm.

Today technology and big agriculture have created the trend illustrated by this graph.

According to the USDA Census of Agriculture, 2002 Wyoming Community and Regional Economics report, operators less than 35 years of age in 1959 “made up 13.5 percent of the operators. The graph shows the share of younger operators shrank to 4.8 percent by 2002.” According to these statistics, the number of young adults that are sticking around to enter the agricultural work force is slowly decreasing, leaving it up to the higher age groups to fill the void. The result has been an increase in the number of individuals from older generations stepping up to take the place of the absent youth.

Technologies such as television, internet, and portable devices have created a global awareness that is contributing to this trend . According to Informationweek.com, the “number of mobile devices accessing the Internet worldwide will surpass 1 billion by 2013” . With this global awareness comes a constant race to keep up with the rest of the world, requiring more education to stay competitive. “More than a quarter of the world's population, or 1.6 billion people, used the Internet in 2009 on a PC, mobile phone, video-game console, or other device. By 2013, that number is expected to rise to 2.2 billion.” With an updated world population of approximately 6,975,339,183 . this means that approximately 1,743,834,795 world citizens are competing globally or are aware of events occurring globally through these advancements in technology. The current U.S. population is approximately 312,618,876 people, meaning that for every one citizen in the U.S., there are roughly 5 other individuals in countries around the world aware of the current global community and participating in global markets. This advancement in technology has greatly contributed to the lack of young individuals willing to work agricultural jobs in the U.S. The reason for this trend is that with this global awareness has come a strong draw to take a part in the global community, taking young adults away from farms.

Possibly one of the biggest reasons that youth are not taking on the agricultural jobs is the challenge of corporate agriculture. Currently Wyoming is mostly made up of small farms that are family-owned. However, drive for higher efficiency and lower prices of food have created the need for increasing production and greater efficiency. This has resulted in a consolidation of small farms into large corporate farming companies. The number of farms has decreased across the U.S. from 6.1 million in 1940 to 2 million in 1998; the number of people fed per farm went from 22 in 1940, to 139 in 1998; the net farm income in 1940 for the U.S. was $5 billion and rose to $55 billion in 1998 . “Very Large Scale and non- family farms accounted for 5% of all farms in 2003, an increase of over 100% from 1989. These farmers share of US farm production accounts for 58% in 2003, an increase of more than 50% from 1989” causing more than “330 farm operators leave their land every week” . These are the farms that reported annual gross sales of farm products over $500,000.00 per year. With the rise of corporate agriculture firms has come a drastic decrease in the American “family farm.” This trend has decreased the number of jobs available and left a large number of youth looking elsewhere for job opportunities.

Wyoming agriculture is currently thriving by the production numbers of farms, but a look at the workforce in Wyoming sheds light on one of the downsides to such success: the loss of the “American family farm.” Two main reasons youth are leaving rural America are an increase in technology and an increase in corporate farms. With the global socialization that technology has brought comes a realization that higher education brings better, higher paying jobs. A look at the decreasing agricultural job market supports the proposed trend of youth leaving rural America.

Another challenge Wyoming is facing is the over consumption of beef products.

Wyoming and the Nation's Issue with Beef Consumption

About 2.5% of Americans are vegetarians, which is around 5 million people . Is there more to being a vegetarian besides health or political reasons? Consuming less meat and more vegetables may support the larger issue of future food security for the rest of the world. The United States is known for consuming large amounts of meat products, comparative to other countries. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the US consumed 26.4 billion pounds of beef, in the year 2010 . Undeniably beef and meat products are a huge industry in the United States, but are consuming so much meat worth disturbing future food security or does it have any effect at all? According to David Pimentel, professor of ecology in Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, reported at the July 24-26 meeting of the Canadian Society of Animal Science in Montreal "If all the grain currently fed to livestock in the United States were consumed directly by people, the number of people who could be fed would be nearly 800 million, or if those grains were exported, it would boost the U.S. trade balance by $80 billion a year, Pimentel estimated ." It does not make sense to spend so much energy processing foods for an animal to digest when the same amount of unprocessed food can feed multiple people. Examples of how much energy plants use versus the energy livestock use is shown in the chart:

File:Second Table.JPG

Obviously, as depicted in this chart, producing plant material is a lot more efficient than producing meat. Yes, plants are more efficient, but how does this relate to you and future food security? Vegetarianism may be a way to cut down on energy used to produce meat, thus helping future food security. Are people willing to cut back on such a popular way of life? According to Roy Kingsmith, director of marketing for Yves Veggie Cuisine, 'When this company started, probably 90 percent of our customers were true vegetarians now, it's only 10 percent vegetarians and 90 percent consumers who are simply looking for an occasional 'healthier' meal . What may be a trend for healthy eating habits could turn into a movement for a future food secure world.

Many people argue that meat is necessary in your diet to reach your protein needs for the day. The total average protein consumption globally is 75.3 grams/person/day of which 24.3 is animal protein. Biologically it is not necessary to circulate plant protein through animals before human consumption . Here is a chart to illustrate how much protein can be received from plant material.

File:Third Table.JPG

As you can see meat is not necessary to meet your daily protein needs. If meat were required there would be no such thing as a vegetarian.

Living in a state like Wyoming, the idea of eating less meat may not accepted very well. The beef industry makes up about 62.5% of agriculture commodities . This may create a problem with Wyoming ranchers, but there are many other commodities that can be capitalized on. Sugar beet, wheat and upcoming wine industry are starting to make an impact on Wyoming’s economy. So why not invest in these industries which will still utilize the land and be more productive and efficient.

Although being a vegetarian may be political or a health trend for some, it is proven to be much more than that. There isn’t a good reason why we should be consuming as much meat as we do. It is not necessary for our diet. Cutting down on meat consumption is more efficient; because of the energy that is spent processing food and feeding animals can be used to feed many more people whole, fresh, natural foods. By eating less meat, food can be stretched further, thus feeding more people and helping the world become more food secure. Being a vegetarian may have been a trend, now cutting back on meat consumption may be a necessity for humanity.

The issue of over consumption of beef is leading to the world-wide epidemic of obesity.

Obesity in Wyoming and The United States

Obesity is a serious medical condition in which a person has a Body Mass Index score that is higher than 30.2 . Obesity is caused when the individual energy intake is much greater than the energy exerted by the individual. Obesity has been commonly linked with the unhealthy products soft drinks which contain high amounts of sugar. Michael Liebman reported that “Greater drinking of sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, as well as ordering supersized portions was associated with a significantly greater likelihood of overweight and obesity. There has been a trend toward increased per capita of soft drinks, and according to recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, soft drinks contributed 7.1% of the populations energy intake in 1999 and 2000 ." Physical inactivity has also been commonly associated with rising rates of obesity and overweight humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity has been linked to such health problems such as Coronary Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Breast cancer, Colon Cancer, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Liver and Gall Bladder disease, Sleep apnea, and Osteoarthritis . Another consequence of obesity is the financial costs of the medicinal aid associated with obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention, reported that “the medical care costs of obesity are staggering. In 2008 dollars, These costs totaled about $147 billion ." Peggy Ward Smith , a writer for Urologic Nursing reported that overweight and obese Americans had cost the American economy approximately $117 billion . Obesity can reportedly be dealt with through the use of proper maintenance of a diet, keeping a selection of foods that are low in sugar and fat within the refrigerator, and exercise. A study that was published by the Journal of Medicine & Science of Sports and Exercise states “Our results strongly suggest that inclusion of regular aerobic exercise (or training) within a weight loss program yields cardio metabolic benefits beyond weight loss alone. Our results further the argument that both fitness and fatness are important for reducing cardio metabolic risks especially during CR and may shed some light on how fitness and fatness contribute to overall mortality ."

International obesity: Obesity is a condition that is rising all across the world with rising rates in both developed countries and under developed countries Obesity rates are steadily increasing all across the globe. The latest World Health Organization reports that there are currently 400 million obese adults around the world, and the number is projected to rise to 700 million by 2015 . This is in part due to the change of diet from a fruits and vegetables based diet into a diet consisting of meals high in fat and meat based . A study done by Manal Al-Kloub, Mousa Al-Hassan, and Ericka Froelicher determined that in Jordan, the only statistically significant predictor of obesity was a “low quality diet.” . Countries such as Egypt, Argentina, Malawi, Uzbekistan, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, and Jamaica have percentages of overweight children that exceed the United States rates of overweight children . Researchers have noticed that this pattern that leads to obesity in children is especially dangerous due to how it leads to future dangers stating “The rising levels in being overweight and in obesity, particularly among low income adolescents, is high priority problem with long term consequences. They lead to higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Dietary and health habits begun in childhood have strong positive and negative effect on later health. Food security is an issue that can add to the issue of obesity. In a report done by the BioMed Central, a study reports that “Food insecurity appears to be positively associated child overweight/obesity in children from the province of Quebec Canada ." Another study done in Brazil Reported by the Journal of Nutrition reports that “Mild food insecurity remained significantly associated with obesity after adjusting for skin color/ethnicity, years of schooling, geographical region, income, age, and marital status .”

Obesity and Wyoming: As of a report made in 2010 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Wyoming is currently ranked 33rd out of the 50 states in obesity . This rate has been steadily increasing since 1994 when the Centers for Disease Control started researching obesity rates within Wyoming. The obesity rate of Wyoming is currently 25.1%. In contrast to Wyoming’s obesity rate is Colorado, which is ranked as the least obese state in the nation. Colorado’s obesity rate was reported to be 21.0% Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . One key part of Wyoming’s economy is agricultural sales. The National Agricultural Statistics Service recently released a report that states that there are currently 11,000 farms in Wyoming which cover 30,200,000 acres of land. Upon these farms there are roughly 1,300,000 calves and cattle within Wyoming . These cattle will later be sold, then shipped off to other states, and then processed into meat. This meat will then be shipped out and processed as a part of the “western diet” which is high in fat and meat based foods.