2. Food for thought

3. What would you be without Agriculture? Question:

4. Answer: Naked & Hungry

5. What is Agriculture?  Agriculture: Activities concerned with the production of plants and animals, and related supplies, services, mechanics, products, processing, and marketing.

6. Agriculture defined  USDA refers to agriculture as “ agriculture/agribusiness and renewable natural resources. ”  food, fiber, and environmental systems www.usda.gov

7.  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

8. Fields of Agriculture  Agronomy- The study of field crops.

9. Fields of Agriculture  Horticulture involves the producing, processing & marketing of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants

10. Fields of Agriculture  Animal Science- the study of the biology and management of domestic animals. This includes livestock, small animals and pets.

11. Fields of Agriculture  Forestry- timber management for lumber, poles, post, plywood, etc.

12. Fields of Agriculture  Biotechnology- manipulation of living organisms and organic material to serve human needs Improving plants or animals  To get desirable traits  Economic gain  Increase production  Etc…

13. Fields of Agriculture  Soil Science- study of properties and management of soil.

14. Fields of Agriculture  Aquaculture- growing and management of living things in the water.

15.  Corn- #1 field crop produced & exported in America Corn production is more than 2 times that of any other crop Produced in every state in the U.S and on every continent except Antarctica!!! Common Field Crops

16. Corn Production

17. 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

18. Wheat Production

19. Specialized Agricultural Regions

20.  Soybeans- the word’s most important source of vegetable oil. Good form of plant protein Provides the basic materials for many products. Ex: Crayons, shampoo, ink pens, Diesel Fuel, etc. Common Field Crops

21.  Wheat- Important to survival of country. Contained in most bread products  Cotton- “The fabric of our lives” Common Field Crops

22. 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?

23. 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).

24.  While many people think that the “farmer” is becoming obsolete, this amount of population growth ensures that Agriculture will always be an essential industry.

25. Food is Affordable in the United States  % Income spent on food  United Kingdom10.2%  France17.7%  Italy19.2%  India48.1%  Mexico24%  USA7 %

26.  http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/In dex http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/In dex  http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Co untry/Details#United States

27. Where Your Dollar Goes

28. What are we eating??  The average US citizen consumes yearly:  21.6 gallonsMilk  30.6 poundsCheese  64.9 poundsRed Meat  253.4Eggs  416.6 pounds Vegetables  194 poundsFlour and Cereal

29. 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

30. Farms  Texas has the most farms  The average farm size in the US is 500 acres  90% of farms are still family run

31.  The projection is for the average size of farms in the US to Increase while the number Decreases trends

32. Commercial Agriculture in the U.S.  Domination of agribusiness – vertical integration – capital & energy intensive – reliance on hybrid seeds / stocks

33. What the Farmer Looks Like

35. Trends  Health concerns has caused an increase in consumption of poultry Why?

36.  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…

37.  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 Agriculture 2007 farm census

38.  Cash Receipts: Greenhouse/nursery: 35% Fruit/Vegetables: 19% Cranberries:17% Livestock/poultry:12% Milk:9% Massachusetts Agriculture 2007 farm census

39.  National rankings: 2 nd – Cranberries 2 nd – Wild blueberries 9 th – Squash 9 th – Maple Syrup 10 th – Raspberries 12 th – Apples 13 th – Pumpkins 13 th – Organic products 15 th - Pears Massachusetts Agriculture 2007 farm census

40.  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

41. Global Agriculture

42. Origins of Plant and Animal Domestication Rise of specialized agriculture & towns engaged in localized trading

43. Percent of Labor Force in Agriculture

44. Formal agricultural regions

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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

49. 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

50. 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

51. 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

53. 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

54. 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

55. 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

56. 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

57. 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

58. 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

59. 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