Economic Importance of Agriculture Crops

Agri-scienceMr. Bailey

Table Partner Work

• Come up with as many Agricultural Crops as you can think of

• You have 3 minutes

Why are Agricultural Crops Important?

• Food

• Fiber

• Feed for livestock

Major Commodity Crops in Agriculture

• Grains

• Oil crops

• Sugar crops

• Citrus

• Tree fruits

• Vegetables

• Specialty crops

Examples of Commodity Crops

• Grain – wheat, rice, corn

• Oil Crops – soybeans, corn, peanuts, sunflower seeds

• Sugar Crops – sugar cane, sugar beets

• Citrus – oranges, lemons, grapefruit

Examples of Commodity Crops

• Tree fruits – apples, pears, peaches

• Vegetables – o (cool climate) broccoli, cabbage, white

potatoes o (warm climate) tomatoes, sweet corn, beans,

sweet potatoes

Examples of Commodity Crops • Specialty Crop: Tobacco, Cotton

• What makes these crops Specialty crops?

Factors Important to know when going crops.

• Climate – length of growing season, average yearly rainfall, average temperatures, humidify, and prevailing winds

• Soil - consider soil pH, soil type, soil depth, and soil response to fertilizer

• Demand or markets available for the crop to be produced

Factors Important to know when going crops.

• Labor requirements and availability of labor

• Machinery or equipment necessary to grow the crop

• Availability of land• Pest problems• Expected yields• Production costs (Can a profit be

expected?)

Locally Grown

• Corn price per bushel - $6.82• Wheat price per bushel - $7.33• Soybeans per bushel - $14.30• Alfalfa Hay per ton - $195.00• Other Hay per ton - $90.00• Tobacco per lb. - $5.91

Let’s do the MATH!!!• 43,560 square feet in

an acre

• 2820 lbs. per acre of tobacco

• 40 bushels of soybeans an acre

• 183 bushels of corn an acre

• 100 bushels of wheat an acre

• Average 8 tons of alfalfa an acre

• Average 4 tons of timothy hay an acre

Conclusion

• The production of field crops creates more income for agriculturists in the U.S. than any other production enterprise. Slightly more than 20% of the land in the U.S. is used for crop production.

Exit Slip 1. List the three reasons why crops are

important?

2. Name at least two commodities and give an example for each.

3. Name one fact important in growing crops and explain why it is important