Third Butler/Cunningham Conference onAgriculture and the Environment

Rural Redesign:The Transformation of

Alabama’s Rural Landscape

Steering Committee:

Mike Kilgore, ALFA Joseph Molnar, Auburn University

Mike Polioudakis, Auburn UniversityWayne Shell, Auburn University

Herb Vanderberry, USDA

2002 Conference: Common Misbeliefs About Alabama

Agriculture

2003 Conference:Trends and Opportunities for Rural Land

Use

Alabama Population 2000 (US Census Data)

• Total Population 4,447,100• Urban Population 2,465,539• Rural Population 1,981,561

– Rural Non-farm Population 1,927,390– Farm Population 54,171

• Total Housing Units 1,963,711• Urban Housing Units 1,080,525• Rural Housing Units 883,186

– Rural Non-farm Housing Units 862,385– Farm Housing Units 20,801

Various Land Uses 2004, in acresOpen Water 1,123,249 3.3%

Developed 454,486 1.3%

Barren 884,891 2.6%

Wetlands 2,212,732 6.6%

Deciduous Forest 7,860,345 23.3%

Evergreen Forest 6,657,414 19.8%

Mixed Forest 7,801,353 23.2%

Total Forest 22,319,112 66.3%

Pasture/Hay 3,453,377 10.2%

Row Crops 3,110,794 9.2%

Total Farmland 6,564,171 19.5%

TOTAL STATE 33,682,203

Number of Farms and Land In Farms USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS), "Farm Real Estate

Historical Series Data, 1950-1992", Statistical Bulletin No. 855

Year Number of Farms Land in Farms

(in acres) 1950 220,000 21,300,0001954 168,000 21,200,0001959 129,000 17,600,0001964 102,000 16,200,0001969 85,000 15,000,0001974 78,000 14,600,0001978 59,000 12,500,0001982 55,000 11,800,0001987 49,000 10,700,0001992 46,000 9,800,000 

Revenue from Major Ag Sources(from USDA Bulletin 45, page 44-45)

• Standard Ag (crops) 583,800,000(row crops, orchard, etc.)

• Floriculture 66,234,000

• Animal husbandry 2,378,300,000(including aquaculture)

• Hunting, fishing, recreation2,400,000,000

• Forestry 735,150,000

Who Produces How Much (from 1997 Ag Census)

Farm size range % Total Farms%Total Ag Sales

Less than $10,000 68.9 2.7

$10,000 - 49,000 16.5 4.5

$50,000 – 99,999 3.3 3.1

$100,000 – 249,000 3.5 7.6

$250,000 – 499,000 3.3 16.2

$500,00 or more 4.5 65.9

Various “New” Residents

• Old farmers with small plots of land• Retired people looking for a cheap place to live• People on pensions• Poor people in general, many of whom have

moved back to the countryside• Mobile home park residents• Ex-urbanites with a job in town and 1-30 acres of

a home site• Ex-urbanites with 10-200 acres of land, and who

often raise some livestock• Hobby farmers and hobby cattle growers

Selected Results from 2002 Poll onAttitudes Toward Rural Life

• 56% think Alabama is a leading agricultural state • 77% think Alabama soil and water is well suited for

agriculture• 90% think that the climate is well suited for agriculture• Over 50% know that the number of farms has declined• 53% know that farming is generally not profitable• 73% know that farmers need a second income• 60% are willing to pay more for food to protect farms• 76% are willing to limit imports to protect farms• Only 4% felt that agriculture was a leading cause of

pollution