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