Pipeline easements vary from property to property, but many are 50 feet
wide, being 25 feet on either side of the pipeline.
wide, being 25 feet on either side of the pipeline.
The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed 1,179-mile (1,897 km),
36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline beginning in Hardisty, Alta.and
extending south to Steele City, Neb.
One mile contains 5,280 feet. 5280 X 1179 miles = 6,225,120 linear feet.
6,225,120 linear feet X 50 linear feet = 311,256,000 square feet.
1 acre = 43,560 ft²
311,256,000 ft^2 / (divided by) 43,560 ft^2 = 7145.5 acres of precious
US farmland will be lost to pipeline easements without any spill. This is
just in constructing the pipeline.
7,145.5 acres of USA farmland lost. A acre is already squared. It has width
and length.
The average size of an American farm is 441 acres today.
Taking 7,145.5 acres in an easement is like putting 16.2 American farmers
out of business. That is so long as there is no spill. The average American
farm is less than 1 square mile.
1 Square Mile = 640 acres
7145.5 acres / 640 acres = 11.16 mi^2 (square miles)
11.16 square miles is like taking Brownsburg, Indiana with a population
of 21,285 people off the map.
Farmland in the Midwest sells for about $2360 per acre. The loss to the
value of tax assessments is 7,145.5 acres X $2360 =$16,863,380 annually.
The national report on cropland (click here) cropland values increased by
30.4 percent to $2,360. Nebraska led the way with a 35.8 percent increase, but North Dakota posted a 29.8 percent increase to $1,350 per acre, and South Dakota had a 24.7 percent increase to $2,320 per acre. Northern
Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota)
Those are real estate values, it does not account for lost income from
crops.
The average size of an American farm is 441 acres today.
Taking 7,145.5 acres in an easement is like putting 16.2 American farmers
out of business. That is so long as there is no spill. The average American
farm is less than 1 square mile.
1 Square Mile = 640 acres
7145.5 acres / 640 acres = 11.16 mi^2 (square miles)
11.16 square miles is like taking Brownsburg, Indiana with a population
of 21,285 people off the map.
Farmland in the Midwest sells for about $2360 per acre. The loss to the
value of tax assessments is 7,145.5 acres X $2360 =$16,863,380 annually.
The national report on cropland (click here) cropland values increased by
30.4 percent to $2,360. Nebraska led the way with a 35.8 percent increase, but North Dakota posted a 29.8 percent increase to $1,350 per acre, and South Dakota had a 24.7 percent increase to $2,320 per acre. Northern
Plains (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota)
Those are real estate values, it does not account for lost income from
crops.
4.95
million acres of corn
4.1 million acres of soybeans
3.6 million acres of hay
2.8 million acres of wheat
2.4 million acres of alfalfa
467,000 acres of sunflowers
70,000 acres of oats
35,000 acres of millet
11,300 acres of pulse crops South Dakota consistently ranks in the top
ten for production of several crops.
2014-15 crop year, the U.S.D.A. (click here) is calling for $3.90 per bushel corn, $9.65 soybeans, and $5.30 wheat.
Does anyone stop to realize how hard these farmers work, how much they
contribute to this country and how they contribute to the balance of trade?
1st
Commercial red meat production, 2012 – 7,284,000,000 lbs.
Commercial cattle slaughter, 2012 – 6,730,400 head
Commercial cattle slaughter, 2012, live weight – 9,163,177,000 lbs.
Great Northern beans production, 2012 – 1,087,000 cwt.
Irrigated land harvested, 2007 - 8,558,559 acres
Popcorn production, 2007 – 294,541,958 lbs.
2nd
All cattle and calves, Jan. 1, 2013 – 6,300,000 head
All cattle on feed, Jan. 1, 2013 – 2,550,000 head
Pinto beans production, 2012 – 1,833,000 cwt.
Beef and veal exports - $742,000,000
3rd
Corn for grain production, 2012 – 1,292,200,000 bushels
Net farm income, 2011 – $7,456,742,000
All dry edible beans production, 2012 – 3,193,000 cwt.
Proso millet production, 2012 - 660,000 bushels
Corn Exports - $1,639,400,000
4th
Cash receipts from all farm commodities, 2011 –$21,814,979,000
Cash receipts from all crops, 2011 – $11,754,013,000
Cash receipts from all livestock and products, 2011 –$10,060,966,000
Land in farms and ranches, 2011 – 45,500,000 acres
On-farm grain storage capacity, Dec. 1, 2012 –1,110,000,000 bushels
Off-farm commercial grain storage capacity, Dec. 1, 2012 –863,470,000 bushels
Soybean Exports - $1,434,900,000
5th
Agricultural exports, 2011 – $6,930,000,000
Soybean production, 2012 – 207,085,000 bushels
6th
Harvested acres of principal crops, 2012 – 18,896,000 acres
All hogs and pigs on farms, Dec. 1, 2012 – 3,000,000 head...
The United States is blessed (click here) with more arable land
than any other nation on earth. Still, only about one-fifth of our
land area (408 million acres (2007))(*2)is used for crop production.
Grazing land for livestock accounts for about one-fourth of the
privately held land in the U.S. (613 million acres (2007)(*2).
In spite of a growing population and increased demand for
agricultural products, the land area under cultivation in this
country has not increased....
In Canada (click here) there are 205,703 farms as of 2011, The size of a
Canadian farm is 315 ha (hectacre). A hectacre is the equivalent
of 2.47 acres. Canada is not giving up any productive farmland to
TransCanada, the USA is.
205,703 farms X 315 ha X 2.47 acre = 160,136,271.7 acres
The USA has about 408 million in agricultural production and there
are no new acreage coming into production. The USA has about 2.6
times the amount of agricultural land as Canada only has 160
million at the very most.
The USA exports a lot of grain to other nations. I welcome any
of the recipient countries and the United Nations to send comment
to the US State Department by March 7, 2014.
It is commonly said,"The US feeds the world."
Canada has absolutely no agricultural
land on the line and this level of
insensitivity to the eroding agricultural
land globally needs to be known by the
USA State Department and I would
estimate the Canadian Foreign Affairs
Minister John Baird should be aware
of the lack of regard TransCanada has for the global hungry.
I am sure I don't have to tell the US State Department the USAID
program provides $1 billion in grain to other needy nations per year.
People queue at a USAid distribution point in Port-au-Prince.
Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
On February 5, 2014, the Federal Register published a notice that
invited members of the public to comment on any factor they deem
relevant to the national interest determination that will be made
for the Presidential Permit application.
The United States is blessed (click here) with more arable land
than any other nation on earth. Still, only about one-fifth of our
land area (408 million acres (2007))(*2)is used for crop production.
Grazing land for livestock accounts for about one-fourth of the
privately held land in the U.S. (613 million acres (2007)(*2).
In spite of a growing population and increased demand for
agricultural products, the land area under cultivation in this
country has not increased....
In Canada (click here) there are 205,703 farms as of 2011, The size of a
Canadian farm is 315 ha (hectacre). A hectacre is the equivalent
of 2.47 acres. Canada is not giving up any productive farmland to
TransCanada, the USA is.
205,703 farms X 315 ha X 2.47 acre = 160,136,271.7 acres
The USA has about 408 million in agricultural production and there
are no new acreage coming into production. The USA has about 2.6
times the amount of agricultural land as Canada only has 160
million at the very most.
The USA exports a lot of grain to other nations. I welcome any
of the recipient countries and the United Nations to send comment
to the US State Department by March 7, 2014.
It is commonly said,"The US feeds the world."
land on the line and this level of
insensitivity to the eroding agricultural
land globally needs to be known by the
USA State Department and I would
estimate the Canadian Foreign Affairs
Minister John Baird should be aware
of the lack of regard TransCanada has for the global hungry.
program provides $1 billion in grain to other needy nations per year.
People queue at a USAid distribution point in Port-au-Prince.
Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images
On February 5, 2014, the Federal Register published a notice that
invited members of the public to comment on any factor they deem
relevant to the national interest determination that will be made
for the Presidential Permit application.
