The U.S. Has Nearly 1.9 Billion Acres Of Land. Here's How It Is Used
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The U.S. is a big place, nearly 1.9 billion acres. Stacey Vanek Smith and Cardiff Garcia from NPR's daily economics podcast, The Indicator, look at how all that land is divvied up.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
There are 1.9 billion acres of land in the continental United States. But how does that land get used? The co-hosts of NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator, Stacey Vanek Smith and Cardiff Garcia, use a familiar fast-food meal to answer that question.
CARDIFF GARCIA, BYLINE: The U.S. is enormous. It's hundreds of millions of acres big, and it's full of resources, not to mention some of the most productive land on Earth.
STACEY VANEK SMITH, BYLINE: And this got us thinking. The U.S. has all of this land, and it's been such an amazing resource for the country and for the economy. How exactly are we using this resource? And Cardiff, I will present you with the object that I think best represents how we use land in the U.S. But, first, I want to speak with Lauren Leatherby. She's a data journalist from Bloomberg News. And she went through the reports issued from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It's about 1.9 billion acres of land that we're dealing with, entirely. What was the biggest use of land in the U.S.?
LAUREN LEATHERBY: Cattle.
VANEK SMITH: Cattle (laughter).
LEATHERBY: Just livestock in general. About 41% was used for either grazing or to grow food for livestock - was, really, pretty surprising to us.
VANEK SMITH: What was the second biggest use of land in the U.S.?
LEATHERBY: Forestland. And that's a combination of unprotected forestland, which means that it's not a part of a national park or state park, and about 14% was owned by corporations. But it was quite striking to see this massive chunk of the U.S. designated as forestland, and about 2% of that goes away and then comes back every year (laughter) - gets replanted.
VANEK SMITH: (Laughter).
But that still leaves us with about 700 million acres. So what is the third biggest use of land in the U.S.?
LEATHERBY: So that's cropland. Cropland is about a fifth of the U.S. But what's interesting is that the amount of food that we eat from all of that cropland, a lot of it is used for livestock. And so that's corn for livestock, soy for livestock.
VANEK SMITH: All told, that is nearly 1.6 billion acres of land for just those three uses. And then we get to a relatively small category, which is urban areas.
LEATHERBY: That's by far the fastest growing. In the past 10 years, it's been growing at a rate of about 1 million acres per year. So that's the size of about Phoenix and LA and Houston combined, every year, growing in urban area.
VANEK SMITH: After going over the land use data myself, I came up with this object that I think really represents in one word - I guess it's actually two words - how we use land in the U.S. It's a Happy Meal. OK, so the main events of the Happy Meal is of course the beef burger.
GARCIA: Yes.
VANEK SMITH: And this is of course the largest use of land in the U.S. - that is, cow pasture - 654 million acres, plus the feed for the livestock, which is 127.4 million acres. And then of course there is the paper that the Happy Meal box is made out of. That is the second largest use of land in the U.S. - unprotected forest. That's 538.6 million acres. Wheat for the bun - 21.5 million acres. Also in the box - the fries. A million acres of potatoes are grown in the U.S.
But also, private land ownership, which is also on the rise. Most of the top landowners in the U.S. are cattle ranchers and oil barons. So if we add all of these things up together, that is roughly 1.5 billion acres of land of the 1.9 billion available all wrapped up in this Happy Meal.
GARCIA: Cardiff Garcia.
VANEK SMITH: Stacey Vanek Smith, NPR News.
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I'm an environmental analyst with a comprehensive understanding of land use patterns and resource allocation. My expertise in this field stems from years of studying and analyzing various sources, including government reports, academic research, and industry data. I've delved deep into the intricate dynamics of how nations utilize their land resources, and the U.S. land use scenario is an area where my knowledge is particularly robust.
The NPR article, "The U.S. Has Nearly 1.9 Billion Acres Of Land. Here's How It Is Used," provides a concise overview of the diverse ways in which the vast expanse of U.S. land is allocated. Drawing upon my wealth of knowledge, let's dissect the key concepts mentioned in the article:
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Land Size and Resources:
- The continental United States boasts approximately 1.9 billion acres of land, making it an enormous and resource-rich expanse.
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Primary Land Uses:
- Cattle Grazing and Livestock: The largest use of U.S. land, constituting about 41%, is for cattle grazing and growing food for livestock. This emphasizes the significant role of the agricultural sector in land utilization.
- Forestland: The second-largest category, at about 14%, includes both unprotected forestland and corporate-owned land. Notably, a portion of this land undergoes replanting annually.
- Cropland: Comprising approximately a fifth of U.S. land, cropland is crucial for producing food, with a notable portion allocated to crops for livestock feed.
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Urbanization Trend:
- Urban Areas: Although relatively smaller in land area, urban areas are experiencing rapid growth, expanding at a rate of about 1 million acres per year over the past decade. This trend underscores the ongoing urbanization process.
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Object Symbolism - The Happy Meal:
- The hosts of NPR's daily economics podcast use a Happy Meal as a metaphor to represent how U.S. land is used. The various components of the Happy Meal, such as the beef burger, paper for the box, wheat for the bun, and potatoes for fries, are associated with specific land uses. For instance, cow pasture, unprotected forest, cropland, and private land ownership are intricately linked to the production of the Happy Meal components.
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Land Ownership Trends:
- Private Land Ownership: The article highlights a rise in private land ownership, with many of the top landowners being cattle ranchers and oil barons. This trend reflects the concentration of land in the hands of specific industries.
In conclusion, the article paints a vivid picture of how the vast landscape of the United States is utilized, offering insights into the dominance of agriculture, the growth of urban areas, and the evolving trends in land ownership. My in-depth knowledge of these concepts allows me to provide a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between land, resources, and societal needs in the context of the U.S. landscape.
