a.Highly capitalized, large- scale, mechanized agricultural production b.Usually practiced in MDCs and involve the mass production of specialty crops (such as corn and soybeans in US) c.High use of technology (computer tracking technology, genetic engineering, etc.) 1. Commercial Farming

d. Vertical Integration: Contractual agreements between farmers and corporate purchasers to give the farmers a guaranteed market at an assured price and the buyers uniformity of quality and delivery

e. Agribusiness: The mass production of agricultural products in which corporations control all levels of food production for commercial purposes: Farming (primary), processing (secondary), and wholesale (tertiary)

f. Governments are highly involved in commercial agriculture through imposing tariffs, setting regulations, subsidizing production/pricing, and setting acreage control

2. Intensive Commercial Agriculture: Large amounts of capital and labor that produce crops with high yields and market value per unit of land

1)The production of fruits and vegetables for market, processing, or canning 2)Large-scale operations mainly in MDCs that use machinery, technology, and low-wage migrant workers to maximize efficiency a. Truck Farming

3)Located close to markets and transportation hubs because of perishable crops 4)Usually have contracts with agribusinesses such as Green Giant, Dole, Del Monte, etc. 5)Includes specialized fruit production in orchards (citrus, peaches, apples, berries)

6) Locations: US Sunbelt/Atlantic Coast,

Europe,

South America

1)Grains are grown on a farm to feed its livestock, which is the actual cash product (meat, milk, eggs) => decreases transportation and feed costs 2)>70% of all cropland in Europe and US is used for growing animal feed b. Mixed Livestock and Crop Farming

3) Livestock is not an efficient method of protein production (a cow must eat 21 pounds of protein to produce one pound of edible protein), but profits from marketing livestock are greater per pound than grain 4) Most US mixed crop/livestock farms grow corn or soybeans, and raise cattle or pigs

5) Locations: US Midwest

North European Plain,

Pampas,

Manchuria

1) The commercial agriculture practiced closest to large urban areas since dairy products are highly perishable => Further you get from urban centers, the more processed dairy becomes (cheese, butter, canned) c. Dairying

2) Milkshed: The ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling (currently 300 miles in the US)

3)Most dairy farms are highly mechanized, closely regulated for safety, and have contracts with large milk or dairy companies 4)In US, Wisconsin is the historical “dairy state” but California now produces more milk (although Wisconsin still produces the most cheese!) 5)MDCs were the center of milk production, but India is now the world’s largest milk producer, dropping US to #2

6) Locations: US Dairy Belt/Pacific,

NW Europe/UK,

Australia/New Zealand

1)Located in warm coastal regions with dry summers and cool, moist winters 2)Most of the world’s grapes, olives, dates, and tree nuts are grown in these regions (66% of the world’s wine is produced in countries bordering the Mediterranean) d. Mediterranean Agriculture

3) Locations: Med Basin, California, Chile, South Africa, Australia

1)A large agricultural holding usually located in a LDC, worked by a large amount of low- wage labor, and often owned/operated by a MNC (Chiquita, Dole, etc.) e. Plantation Agriculture

2)Produce one or two specialized “cash crops” for export (cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, sugarcane, cacao, spices, tropical fruits, tobacco) 3)Originally developed by Europeans when the country was a colony => economic interaction between core and periphery countries

4) Locations: South/SE Asia, Africa, Latin America

3. Extensive Commercial Agriculture: Large farms with small amounts of capital and labor per unit of land

1) Average farms are ≈ 1,000 acres 2) Wheat is the world’s leading export crop because it sells for more than other grains, has varied uses, can be stored easily without spoiling, and can be transported a long distance 3) US and Canada supply about 50% of all wheat exports and US is the largest commercial producer of grains a. Large-scale Grain Farming

4) Locations: Great Plains, Ukraine/Kazakhstan, Australia, Pampas

b. Livestock Ranching: The commercial grazing of livestock on semiarid/arid land with low population densities in MDCs

1)Began during 19 th century growth of urban markets for beef and wool 2) Cattle (Western hemisphere), sheep (Australia/New Zealand, South Africa), and goats (Central Asia) are the three animals most commonly found on ranches

3) Locations: The Americas,

Australia/New Zealand,

Central Asia,

South Africa