2022 Year in Review

Introduction to Agriculture at a Glance

As we close out the Gregorian year of 2022, rising food costs is a recurring topic. There are a myriad of reasons, not least of which is sky rocketing feed and fuel costs, increasing governmental oversight and regulation, ongoing supply chain issues and how the market changed while people were mostly staying home. And wait until July 2023, when the over-the-counter medications most livestock producers reach for at need will become completely unavailable without taking the animal to a veterinarian!

Fortunately, although all the above impacts small farmers possibly even more than large operations, the Big Bottom Valley is rich with accessible agricultural producers...accessible to everyone! Keep an eye on this space for introductions to local people who grow food that you can put on your table and in your pantry.

A little light reading: The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. In this groundbreaking book, one of America’s most fascinating, original, and elegant writers turns his own omnivorous mind to the seemingly straightforward question of what we should have for dinner. To find out, Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating. His absorbing narrative takes us from Iowa cornfields to food-science laboratories, from feedlots and fast-food restaurants to organic farms and hunting grounds, always emphasizing our dynamic coevolutionary relationship with the handful of plant and animal species we depend on. Each time Pollan sits down to a meal, he deploys his unique blend of personal and investigative journalism to trace the origins of everything consumed, revealing what we unwittingly ingest and explaining how our taste for particular foods and flavors reflects our evolutionary inheritance.

Internet Drill Down: Follow this link for current and historic information on USA agricultural production https://www.indexmundi.com/agriculture/