CB—Lancaster Fanning, Thursday, December 24,1981 USDA yearbook asks... ‘Will there be enough food?’ WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans—farmers and non farmers—need to face up to a number of problems “if we’re to keep doing a good job of feeding ourselves and helping to feed the world,” according to Secretary of Agriculture John R. Block. The remarks are part of his foreword to the 1981 Yearbook of Agriculture, issued today and titled “Will There Be Enough Food?" Problems discussed in the book include loss of prime farmland, whether agricultural productivity is leveling off, soil erosion, diversion of agricultural resources from food production to meet energy requirements, water and soil pollution, and food shortfalls in the world. “Meals by the millions,” Secretary Block writes, “call for a productive, healthy agriculture— UNDERGROUND LIQUID MANURE SYSTEMS * Eliminate manure stacks for cleaner and neater appearance * Eliminates breeding places for flies and insects * Eliminates odor with underground manure storage * Above ground systems also available * ASCS APPROVED MAR-ALLEN CONQRETE PRODUCTS INC. RD 2, EPHRATA, PA 17522 PHONE: 717-859-3354 IF NO ANSWER 717-687-6732 . which in turns means jobs—jobs by the millions in factories and stores, in processing and storage, in finance and transportation, in laboratories and offices, in supermarkets and fast food shops. Agriculture keeps the wheels of the economy turning. “Overseas, American food is major markets and a positive agricultural balance of payments. We sell much more food abroad than we buy from foreign nations. With the difference we can buy oil, minerals, and other non-food products that are used in every home." The 344-page 1981 Yearbook may be purchased by sending a check or money order for $7 to Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402. Sales copies also are available at government bookstores in a number, of cities. In addition, members of Congress have limited numbers of the Yearbook for free distribution to constituents. The Agriculture Department has no copies for sale or public distribution. Will there be enough food in a world where hunger is as old as history, and never more than one crop away? Precarious as the world food situation is, some of this book’s writers things are getting better. However, world dependence on the U.S. for agricultural supplies is likely to increase significantly, two writers believe. On an upbeat note, a number of writers feel that new scientific developments on the frontiers of science may revolutionize today’s agriculture, boosting farm productivity. In the Yearbook’s final chapter. Professor Emeritus Don Paarlberg of Purdue University says “no one doubts that our farmers will be able to satisfy the food needs of domestic consumers; concern arises about our ability to meet the projected needs of other countries.” In his opinion, the world food situation is improving—with the possibility of even further im-’ provement. Chapter titles include: “Farm Productivity, Key to Our Level of Living,” “A World That’s Fed Better Than Ever Before,” ‘‘Frontiers of Science to Tomorrow’s Food.” “The Land and Water Squeeze on Our Food,” “U.S., Farm Groups Build Markets—and Income,” “Food Aid: Where Dollars Help Abroad," and “Americans Pitch In to Fight World Hunter.” Subjects include changes, im provements, and emerging problems in U.S. food production, processing, and marketing; and the vital part U.S. commercial food exports play in our balance of payments. The hardback book has 32 pages of color photographs, over 100 black and white photos, arid an index. There are 30 chapters. This Publication is available in Microform. University Microfilms International *OO North Zecb Road, Dept PR Ann Arbor Mi 48106 > §
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