Super Bowl…of farming

Feb 01, 2016

Colorado vs. North Carolina

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers will play in Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, California.

The winning team will hoist the Vince Lombardi trophy as the best team in the National Football League for the 2015/16 season.

Until kickoff, a variety of analysts will break down which team has the better quarterback, receiving corps, special teams, running backs and more.

Farms.com is going to do the same thing using agricultural statistics from the represented states: Colorado and North Carolina.

** Signals the advantage for each team.

	Colorado	North Carolina
NFL Team	Denver Broncos	Carolina Panthers
Number of farm operations	35,000	49,500**
Total value of ag products sold	More than $7 billion	More than $12 billion**
Top commodity value	Hay - $738 million	Tobacco - $911 million**
Average age of principal operator	58.9	58.9
Acres operated	31.8 million**	8.4 million
Milk production (measured in Lb)	3.5 billion**	961 million
Beef cows (as of Jan. 1, 2015)	725,000**	363,000
Aquaculture sales	More than $14 million	More than $23 million**

Based on the categories used to compare the two teams, the Carolina Panthers will be the Super Bowl champions.

Who are you rooting for this Sunday?

Be sure to check out 5 NFL players with a connection to farming.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.