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What would you be without Agriculture? Question:
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Food for thought
What would What would you be without you be without Agriculture?Agriculture?
Question:
Answer:
Naked & HungryNaked & Hungry
What is Agriculture?
Agriculture: Activities concerned with the production of plants and animals, and related supplies, services, mechanics, products, processing, and marketing.
Agriculture defined
USDA refers to agriculture as “agriculture/agribusiness and renewable natural resources.”
food, fiber, and environmental systems
www.usda.gov
2% of America’s work force produces the food and fiber to meet the needs of our nation
There has been a reduction from 90% of the nation’ population involved in farming 200 years ago
Agriculture Progress
Fields of Agriculture
Agronomy- The study of field crops.
Fields of Agriculture
Horticulture involves the producing, processing & marketing of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants
Fields of Agriculture
Animal Science- the study of the biology and managementof domestic animals. This includes livestock, small
animals and pets.
Fields of Agriculture
Forestry- timber management for lumber, poles, post, plywood, etc.
Fields of Agriculture
Biotechnology- manipulation of living organisms and organic material to serve human needsImproving plants or animals
To get desirable traitsEconomic gain Increase productionEtc…
Fields of Agriculture Soil Science- study of properties and
management of soil.
Fields of Agriculture
Aquaculture- growing and management of living things in the water.
Corn- #1 field crop produced & exported in AmericaCorn production is more than 2 times
that of any other cropProduced in every state in the U.S and
on every continent except Antarctica!!!
Common Field Crops
Corn Production
Corn – a zillion uses!
Adhesives Aluminum Antibiotics Aspirin Babyfood Batteries Cereal Soda Gum Cosmetics crayons
Diapers Leather Yogurt Wallpaper Toothpaste Syrup Tacos Soaps Cleaners Rugs Carpet Salad dressings
• Peanut butter• Paper plates• Mustard• Ketchup• Candy• Mayonnaise• Jelly• Frozen food• Instant coffee• Malted
products
Wheat Production
Specialized Agricultural Regions
Soybeans- the word’s most important source of vegetable oil.Good form of plant proteinProvides the basic materials for many
products.Ex: Crayons, shampoo, ink pens,
Diesel Fuel, etc.
Common Field Crops
Wheat- Important to survival of country. Contained in most bread products
Cotton- “The fabric of our lives”
Common Field Crops
World Outlook The worlds population is continually
expanding. More children are surviving to
adulthood.Adults are living longer.
What impact will this have on our resources?
World Outlook Population growth will:
1. Add stress to environmental systems of air, water, soil, and natural resources.
2. Create challenges to meet the demands for food and fiber (clothing and shelter).
While many people think that the “farmer” is becoming obsolete, this amount of population growth ensures that Agriculture will always be an essential industry.
Food is Affordable in the United States
% Income spent on food United Kingdom 10.2% France 17.7% Italy 19.2% India 48.1% Mexico 24% USA 7 %
http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Index
http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Country/Details#United States
Where Your Dollar Goes
What are we eating??
The average US citizen consumes yearly: 21.6 gallons Milk 30.6 pounds Cheese 64.9 pounds Red Meat 253.4 Eggs 416.6 pounds Vegetables 194 pounds Flour and Cereal
What is produced on America’s Farms?
Total Livestock, Dairy, and Eggs ~280,000,000,000 pounds
Crops ~,900,000,000,000 pounds
Corn ranks in the top five US exports every year
Farms
Texas has the most farms The average farm size in the US is 500
acres 90% of farms are still family run
The projection is for the average size of farms in the US to Increase while the number Decreases
trends
Commercial Agriculture in the U.S. Domination of agribusiness – vertical
integration – capital & energy intensive – reliance on hybrid seeds / stocks
What the Farmer Looks Like
What the Farmer Looks Like
Trends
Health concerns has caused an increase in consumption of poultry
Why?
U.S. chicken consumption per capita has risen from 68.8 pounds in 1995 to an estimated 85.6 pounds today
Poultry is generally cheaper per pound than other meat
Healthier (leaner) Appeal to kids. (Beef nuggets, anyone?) Versatile – baked, fried, soup, nuggets,
wings, etc…
Total acreage of farmland: 517,879 Average farm: 67 acres Total # of farms: 7,691 Farm #’s grew 27% between 2002-2007 Farmers markets: 202 Revenue: $6 billion!
Massachusetts Agriculture2007 farm census
Cash Receipts:Greenhouse/nursery: 35%Fruit/Vegetables: 19%Cranberries: 17%Livestock/poultry: 12%Milk: 9%
Massachusetts Agriculture2007 farm census
National rankings: 2nd – Cranberries 2nd – Wild blueberries 9th – Squash 9th – Maple Syrup 10th – Raspberries 12th – Apples 13th – Pumpkins 13th – Organic products 15th - Pears
Massachusetts Agriculture2007 farm census
Total Area in Agriculture: 66,352 acres 522 Farms $20, 601,000 revenue
Crop sales: 38% Livestock sales: 62%
Average farm is 127 acres and produces $57,091 Top crops: forage (hay, silage), corn, vegetables, Top livestock: cattle, layers, milk, horses, sheep
Berkshire CountyAgriculture
Global Agriculture
Origins of Plant and Animal Domestication
Rise of specialized agriculture & towns engaged in localized trading
Percent of Labor Force in Agriculture
Formal agricultural regions
Agricultural diffusion
The origin and diffusion of plant domestication Agriculture apparently began with plant
domestication Domesticated plant—one deliberately planted,
protected, and cared for by humans Genetically distinct from wild ancestors
because of deliberate improvement through selective breeding
Tend to be larger than wild species, bearing larger, more abundant crops
For example—wild Indian maize grew on a cob only 0.75 inches long
Agricultural diffusion
Plant domestication and improvement constituted a process, not an event Began because of close association
between humans and natural vegetation over a period of hundreds or even thousands of years
Useful plants were protected by humans, which led to deliberate planting
Agricultural diffusion
The origin and diffusion of animal domestication
Domesticated animal—one dependent on people for food and shelter Differs from wild species in physical appearance
and behavior Result of controlled breeding and daily contact
with humans Apparently occurred later (with the exception
of the dog) than did the first planting of crops People may have first domesticated cattle and
some birds for religious reasons
Agricultural diffusion
The pig and the dog may have attached themselves to human settlements to feast on garbage
Farmers of the southern Asian crop hearth and American Indians did not excel at animal domestication Asians did have some poultry American Indians had the llama,
alpaca, guinea pig, and the turkey
Agricultural diffusion
The beginning of nomadic herding As grain-herd livestock farming expanded
tillers entered marginal lands Crop cultivation proved difficult or impossible Population pressures forced people into
marginal areas Livestock became more important than crops People began wandering with their herds so
as not to exhaust local forage
Commercial livestock fattening Farmers raise and fatten cattle and hogs for
slaughter One of the most developed fattening areas is
the Corn Belt of the Midwestern United States—Farmers raise maize and soybeans as feed
In Europe, feed crops are more commonly oats and potatoes
Smaller zones of commercial livestock fattening also appears in southern Brazil and South Africa
Crop and animal raising is combined on the same farm
Commercial livestock fattening
Some geographers call this type of agriculture: mixed crop and livestock farming
Specialization Farmers breed many of the animals they
fatten, especially hogs Other farmers concentrate on preparing cattle
and hogs for market In factory-like feedlots, farmers raise imported
cattle and hogs on purchased feed Such feedlots are most common in the
western and southern United States
Commercial livestock fattening
The question of feedlot nutritional efficiency In the 1900s world grain production rose
much faster than did world population growth
Cereals provide most of the protein intake of the world’s people
At least one-half of America’s harvested agricultural land is planted with feed crops for livestock
Over 70 percent of America’s grain crop is used to feed livestock
Commercial livestock fattening
The question of feedlot nutritional efficiency A cow must eat 21 pounds of grain to
produce one pound of edible protein Protein lost through conversion from plant to
meat could make up almost all the world’s present protein deficiency
Today, food that feeds Americans would feed 1.5 billion at the consumption level of China
Poorer countries such as Costa Rica and Brazil are destroying rain forests to fatten beef for America’s fast-food restaurants
Livestock ranching Raise only cattle and sheep in large numbers Where ranchers specialize in cattle raising
United States and Canada Tropical and subtropical Latin America, and
warmer parts of Australia Mid-latitude ranchers in the Southern Hemisphere
specialize in sheep Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Argentina
produce 70 percent of world’s export wool Sheep outnumber people 8 to 1 in Australia, and 16
to 1 in New Zealand
Urban Agriculture
Practiced by migrants to cities in developing countries
Consist of tiny plots of land Can produce enough to feed a family—
vegetables, fruit, meat, and milk May produce a surplus to sell
Urban Agriculture
In China now provides 90 percent or more of all vegetables consumed in cities
Nairobi and Kampala, Africa produce 20 percent of food from city lands
Many inhabitants of Sarajevo in Bosnia survived conflict because of urban agriculture
Cities in Russia derive much food from urban agriculture
Sustainable Agriculture Alternatives to monoculture, and heavy
use of pesticides and energy inputs Such as programs of social, ecological,
and economic health for agricultural land and communities
Options include: organic farming, agroecology, holistic management, urban gardening, community-supported agriculture, natural systems agriculture
Reliance on local knowledge & minimization of ecological impacts