Cotton Production in a Changing Environment HPACC 2014 Annual Meeting Bill Robertson March, 2014
Where Does My Food Come From?
Field to Market: The Sustainable Outcomes for Agriculture Alliance
Our working definition of sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture will meet the needs of the present while improving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs by: Increasing productivity to meet future nutritional and fiber needs while decreasing impacts on the environment Improving human health through access to safe, nutritious food Improving the economic well being of agricultural communities
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Who are our members?
Cotton: 30 Years of Improved Environmental Performance (1980 – 2011)
Land Use
Soil Loss
30%
68%
Irrigation Water Energy Use Use
75%
31%
Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture Dec. 2012 http://www.fieldtomarket.org/report/national‐2/PNT_NatReport_A27.pdf
GHG Emission
22%
Cotton LEADS™ is a program committed to responsibly produced cotton.
Cotton production in the United States continues to lead in the implementation of best management practices and continual improvement in key environmental indicators.
LAND USE
GREEHOUSE GASES
SOIL EROSION
ENERGY
IRRIGATION
Cotton is grown in many arid regions of the world, thriving and providing economic yields in environments not possible for many other crops. About 50% of the world’s cotton and only 36% of U.S. cotton receives some level of irrigation.
Pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, nematicides and fungicides, help farmers around the world to stabilize yields in order to produce an abundant and affordable supply of food and fiber by preventing crop losses due to pests.
According to a survey of U.S. cotton growers in 2008, 44% of U.S. cotton farms had fields that required no foliar insecticides and nearly one-third of U.S. cotton acreage required absolutely no insecticide applications. In other words, only about 5.6 grams of total pesticides are applied per kilogram of U.S. cotton produced. Globally, from 1996 to 2006, there was a 23% reduction in insecticide active ingredients and the resultant environmental impact fell by 28%.
The energy required to produce cotton is actually less than the energy stored in the seed. Stored energy can be captured directly into biodiesel or other biofuels, or indirectly as feed for dairy cows and aquaculture. About 635 kilograms of seed are produced per hectare of cotton, which equates to over 75 liters of biodiesel per hectare – more than required to grow and gin the cotton crop.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions refer to any gas released into the atmosphere that prevents heat from the sun from escaping back into space. While the earth needs some GHGs to sustain life, higher concentrations can cause the earth’s climate to warm.
There is more carbon stored in cotton fiber and soil than emitted during production.
Cotton has a neutral greenhouse gas footprint that continues to improve over time.
From the field to the mill, Cotton LEADS™ is leading the way in traceable, transparent and efficient cotton production.
Tracking
and identification systems are in place throughout the cotton production supply chain.
Cotton produced in the United States
utilizes the USDA cotton classing program to identify every bale of U.S. cotton. Bales at the mill are identified by the Permanent Bale Identification
tag
which
provides
fiber
quality
and
tracking
information. Cotton can be tracked back to the field where it was produced.
Cotton LEADS™ is actively involved in benchmarking beyond the agriculture boundary. The Cotton Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) aims to provide a global comprehensive inventory of data relating to cotton production and textile manufacturing. The associated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) utilizes global LCI data to present a comprehensive
cradle-to-grave
examination
of
representative
cotton products, specifically knit golf shirts and woven pants, and includes
garment
creation,
consumer
product
use
and
maintenance, transportation and product end-of-life. Available at www.cottonleads.org, the LCA is another way that Cotton LEADS™ is leading the way in sustainable cotton supply chains.
The Fieldprint calculator is a web based tool developed by the
Field to Market Coalition for Sustainable Agriculture
Fieldprint calculator http://fieldtomarket.org 26
Field To Market Calculator START PAGE
Field Print
TAWC Cotton Fields • Hale and Floyd Counties • 6500 Acres from 111 Cotton Fields Representing 23 Sites and 14 Producers in 2007 to 2011 • No‐till to Conventional Tillage • Dryland and Irrigated • Subsurface Drip • LEPA • Furrow
Ranking of Resource Efficiencies 2009 Cotton TAWC Lint Producer Yield & Field Equivalent Number (r)*
* Rank among 21 cotton fields with 1 being the highest or most efficient and 21 being the lowest or least efficient
Three or More Years of Cotton (2007 – 2011) Efficiency Ratings ‐ Occurrence in top 25% TAWC Producer & Field Number K—1 K—2 K—3 N—2 N—3 O—8 O—9 R—2 S—10 S—9 B—1 V—3 B2—1 C—2 D—6 F—5 F—6 F—7 F—8 I‐‐2
n 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 4 4
Lint Yield Equivalent
Conservation Efficiency
Soil Carbon
Irr Water Energy Use Use Efficiency Efficiency
GHG Emission Efficiency
Overall Resource Efficiency
1 1 1
1 2 2
1 3
1
1 2
3 2 2
4 2 3
3 2 3
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1 1
1 2 2 1 1
1 1
1 1
4 2 1
2 2 2
2 1 1 2 1 1
2
1
2 1 1 2 1 2 1
Total Variable Cost Efficiency
3
3
3 3
2 3 2
1 1
1
1 2 2 1
Three or More Years of Cotton (2007 – 2011) Efficiency Ratings ‐ Occurrence in Top 50% TAWC Producer & Field Number K‐‐1 K‐‐2 K‐‐3 N‐‐2 N‐‐3 O‐‐8 O‐‐9 R‐‐2 S‐‐10 S‐‐9 B‐‐1 V‐‐3 B2‐‐1 C‐‐2 D‐‐6 F‐‐5 F‐‐6 F‐‐7 F‐‐8 I‐‐2
