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James River Basin - Agriculture In 1997, the James River Basin had over 7,000 farms. Barry County - produces more beef cattle than any other county in the James River Basin, ranking fifth in the state for beef cattle production. (Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service 1998-1999 data). Barry County had 1,598 farms and 285,169 acres of farmland. The average farm size was 178 acres and the average cost of land $1,309 per acre Christian County - In 1997, there were 1,209 farms and 202,863 acres of farmland. The average farm size was 168 acres and the cost of land averaged $1,760 per acre. Greene County - Primary agriculture product is hay. In 1997, Greene County had 1,997 farms and 277,043 acres of farmland. The average farm size was 139 acres and the cost of land averaged $ 2,206 per acre. Stone County - In 1997, there were 684 farms and 135,993 acres of farmland. The average farm size was 199 acres and the cost of land averaged $1,273 per acre. Webster County - Webster county ranks second in the state for dairy production, sixth in the state for hay production, and number one in the James River Basin for dairy production. Webster County produces the most hogs and pigs. In 1997, there were 1,691 farms in Greene County and 96,825 acres of farmland. The average farm size was 176 acres and the cost of land averaged $1,192 per acre.
In 1997, the total value of farm products in the James River Basin equaled $14 million, and animal production $259 million.
Livestock production in the James River Basin include: dairy and beef cattle, pigs, turkeys, and chickens in addition to a few farms that raise sheep. Hogs and Pigs In 2002, over 20,000 hogs and pigs, valued over $1.4 million were produced. Most were produced in Webster County - see Table below.. 2002 JRB - Hogs and Pigs
Dairy and Beef Cattle Over 21,000 dairy cattle and 152,000 beef valued over $219 million were produce in the James River Basin. Webster has the highest dairy cattle production and Barry county produces most of the beef cattle. 2002 JRB: Dairy and Beef cattle
You can access an article
about poultry litter from the Springfield NewsLeader’s website at http://springfield.news-leader.com/specialreports/stewardshipozarks/alternative072102.html. The Hay production dominates crops grown in the James River Basin. Corn, wheat, and soybeans are grown in smaller quantities. The amounts of corn, wheat, and soybeans grown are too low to include in the state’s “farm facts”. Orchards: apples and peaches. Hay - In 2002, hay production from 303,000 acres weighed about 587,000 tons. This is over one billion pounds of hay! Hay harvested in the James River Basin in 2002
Corn - In 2002: 800 acres of corn.Wheat - In 2002: 1200 acres of wheat. Seven hundred acres in Webster County, and 500 acres in Greene County.Orchards - Orchards are farms where fruits are grown. Orchards primarily produce apples and peaches. Fruit from these orchards can be purchased at local farmer’s markets, direct from the orchards, or from grocery stores.James River Basin orchards include: 1. Ozark Mountain Orchard Highlandville, MO 2. Sunshine Valley Orchard 3. Byers Orchard 4. Murphy’s Orchard 5. Stony Hill Farm Farm
production includes crops and livestock that are sold to processing companies for cash.
Processing companies in the James River Basin include Willow Brook Foods, Inc. and
Hiland Dairy Foods. 1. Willow Brook Foods, Inc. 2. Hiland Dairy Foods In 1998 approximately 52,000 tons of fertilizer were applied on farms in the James River Basin. Below is a breakdown of application by by county. Fertilizer Use in the James River Basin-1998
Source: University of Missouri Annual Fertilizer Tonnage Report
Farms are important. They
provide food and jobs for people in and outside the area.
Proper farm management is important to ensure water quality within the
watershed. When it rains, rainwater
flows over the ground carrying with it suspended materials to the nearest creek, stream or
river. This is called “runoff”. The
largest pollutant in the James River Basin is sediment.
As rainwater flows over bare soil, it picks up loose soil particles and debris,
carrying them into the nearest stream. Upon
entrance into the stream, the sediment is deposited in areas where water moves slowly,
such as pools or backwaters. This sediment
settles between rocks and can eliminate habitat for animals that live on streambeds, such
as insect larvae, darters, and mussels. If excess fertilizer is
applied to farmland, it can be washed by rainwater and transported into water bodies
within the watershed. Excess animal wastes can
also be washed along with excess fertilizers, soil particles and debris. Algae are found in many
water bodies and provide food for small fish and other animals living in the stream. Since algae are plants, they convert light energy
into carbohydrates through a process called photosynthesis.
Algae growth requires nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus. When these nutrients are available in sufficient
quantity, algae are able to grow and provide food for aquatic organisms. This relationship keeps the quantity of algae and
consumers in balance. When excess nutrients
are washed into a stream from fertilizer or animal waste, the algae grow in larger
quantities than can be consumed. Upon death,
the algae settle to the bottom of the waterbody and decompose. The process of decomposition requires dissolved
oxygen from the water, and can deplete the water of dissolved oxygen required by larger
aquatic life forms. Animal waste can also
increase the amount of bacteria in streams. The
primary bacteria that can be harmful to humans is Escherichia coli. James River Basin -
Harmful Bacteria in Water.
How can farmers keep local rivers clean? Trees and other vegetation along riverbanks can capture suspended
solids from runoff water before solids enter the rivers. Vegetation assists with water
percolation into the soil. Soil acts to clean
the water passing through it. The section of
vegetation along the edge of streams is called a riparian buffer. A good minimal width for the riparian buffer is 50
to 100 feet. Animals drinking water from streams can also affect the status of a
clean stream. If animals walk into a river to
drink water, they can cause erosion of the stream banks or pollute water with bacteria by
defecating directly into the water. To avoid
bacterial pollution, farmers can set up livestock watering tanks further from the stream,
pump water from the stream using solar power or drill wells to fill water tanks. Farmers can get assistance regarding proper
fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide application rates from the local extension offices: http://extension.missouri.edu/christian/.
Chemical containers for insecticides, pesticides,
herbicides should be disposed in designated areas to avoid chemicals leaking into the
ground. |
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Page last updated August 26, 2008 |
