1. Understanding Agriculture
2.01

2. Agriscience defined
Agriscience is the application of scientific principles and new technologies to agriculture.
Also considered an applied science because it applies knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics in practical ways.
Agronomists use biology and chemistry to develop new ways to control weeds.
Entomologists use biology and chemistry to develop new ways to control insects.
Agricultural engineers use physics to develop new, more efficient machinery.
Agriscience employs the scientific method to solve problems in agriculture. (scientific method is covered in Objective 3.02)

3. Agriculture defined
 Agriculture is concerned with the production, processing, marketing and distribution of all agricultural products, related supplies and services.
Examples:
Cattle – production- farmer, cow-calf, feeder steers, processing- slaughter facility, rendering, beef, leather, marketing- butcher, grocery, steaks, transportation – plane, rail, truck, related supplies and services- veterinarian, feed dealer,
Wheat – production -farmer, grain, processing- grain mills, flour, marketing - bakery, bread, transportation - grain trucks, rail, related supplies and services – fertilizer dealer, crop scouting, machinery dealer, GPS
Roses – production - flower grower, roses, processing/marketing – harvesters, wholesale and retail florist, transportation – plane, truck, floral delivery driver, related supplies and services – glass vase sales, greenhouse manufacturers, floral designers

4. Agribusiness defined
Agribusiness refers to commercial firms (businesses) that have developed with or stemmed out of agriculture.
Examples of Agribusiness:
Farm related: Chemical Company, Tractor Manufacturer, Pharmaceutical Company (veterinary medicines)
Horticulture related: Landscape or nursery business, Seed company, Mower Manufacturer

5. Renewable natural resources defined
Resources provided by nature that can replace or renew themselves.
Examples of natural resources
Wildlife – deer, songbirds, birds of prey, fish, rabbits
Forests – trees, grasses,

6. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
Mechanization helps 2% of America’s work force produce the food and fiber to meet the needs of our nation.
There has been a reduction from 90% of nations populace involved in farming 200 years ago to less than 2% in 2012.
Major inventions/improvements and inventors/researchers
Jethro Tull is credited with inventing the first horse drawn seed drill in England in 1701.
Cotton gin (1793) - Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin to transform cotton to a usable product by removing the cottonseed from the cotton fiber.

7. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
Iron plow (late 1700’s and early 1800’s) Thomas Jefferson and his son-in-law Thomas Mann Randolph worked together to develop many of the early iron and mould board plows; however, it was Charles Newbold in who patented the first cast iron plow and Jethro Wood who patented the iron plow with interchangeable parts in
Grain reaper (1834) Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper to save labor in cutting, wheat, oats, and similar crops.
Henry Blair became the second black inventor in history to receive a patent. He received a patent for his seed planter (1834) and cotton planter (1836).

8. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
Steel moldboard plow (1837) – John Deere improved the iron plow by inventing the steel moldboard plow.
Corn picker (1850) Edmund Quincy –
Barbed wire (1874) Joseph Glidden – dramatically changed raising livestock. Barbed wire tattoos came much later.
Milking machine (1878) Anna Baldwin changed the dairy industry by inventing a machine to replace hand milking.

9. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
Perishable food preservation (1879) Thomas Elkins designed a device that helped with the task of preserving perishable foods by way of refrigeration.
Soil improvement and crop rotation (late 1890’s) - George Washington Carver brought the science of crop rotations to use in the United States and discovered over 300 uses for peanuts. He also implemented the use of legumes (plants that “make” their own nitrogen, ie. peanuts) to significantly improve soil fertility in the U.S. south.

10. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
 Tractor (1904) Ben Holt invented the “track-type” tractor and commercialized its use as “Caterpillar”.
It was John Froelich in 1892 who many believe had the first successful gasoline powered tractor. Many inventors worked to develop the modern tractor which came to replace the mule as the sources of power (horse power).
1954 was the year that the number of tractors on farms exceeds the number horses and mules for the first time

11. Progress in U.S. Agriculture
Gene gun (1987) John Sanford developed a device for injecting cells with genetic information.
GPS technology (1993) – tractor based GPS systems together with sophisticated GIS (Geographic Information Systems) uses a wide variety of techniques to gather data such as soil condition, humidity, temperature and other variables , which the system then uses to control such things as intensity of planting, application of fertilizer and pesticides, watering schedules, etc.
Robotic milking Machines (late 1990’s) – First used in Ontario, Canada. Many benefits one of which is reduction in labor. Initial cost is primary disadvantage especially to small producer.

12. Establishment of Land Grant Institutions
Definition: An institution designated by its state legislature to receive funding (Morrill Acts of 1862 &1890) to teach agriculture, military tactics and the mechanical arts. A key component is the agricultural experiment station (Hatch Act 1887).
Examples:
North Carolina A&T (1890) Greensboro, NC
North Carolina State University (1887) Raleigh, NC
Clemson University (1889) Clemson, SC
University of Georgia (1785) Athens, GA
University of Tennessee (1794) Knoxville, TN
Virginia Tech. University (1872) Blacksburg, VA

13. Agriculture related Government Agencies
Established to assist farmers, ranchers and the general public with information, professional assistance and, in some cases, funding.

14. Examples of some of the agencies we now have:
USDA (1862) – United States Department of Agriculture provides leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on sound public policy, the best available science, and efficient management. Examples of branches/agencies of USDA:
NRCS (1935) - Natural Resource Conservation Service
APHIS (1972) – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
NASS (1863) – National Agricultural Statistics Service
USFS (1905) –United States Forest Service mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
NCCES (1914) North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service -to help, individuals, families, and communities put research –based knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and an improved quality of life.
North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) – To provide services that promote and improve agriculture…..

15. Origins of Major Food Crops
Fruits and Vegetables
Peaches - China
Tomato – South America
Peanut – Peru, South America
Sweet potato – Central America
Grain, Oil and Fiber Crops
Corn – Cuba, Mexico
Soybeans – Southeast Asia
Cotton – Mexico, Africa, Pakistan
Wheat – Southwest Asia (Syria, Jordan, Turkey, India)

16. Major US Agricultural Production Regions for Selected Crops and Livestock
Regions develop based on a variety of factors including soils, weather, market development, feed availability, etc.

17. Examples of agricultural production regions and/ or states that generally rank high in U.S. production
Citrus fruit – Florida, Texas and California
Corn belt – Includes all or parts of these Midwestern states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska,
Wheat –
Hard Red Spring Wheat – (highest protein content, excellent bread wheat, superior milling and baking characteristics)
Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, (also Oregon, Washington, California)
Soft Red Winter Wheat – (high yielding, low protein, used for cakes, biscuits, pastries) Several southeastern states including North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and others, as well as Midwestern states including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and others.

18. Examples of agricultural production regions and/ or states that generally rank high in U.S. production
Spearmint – Washington, Oregon, Idaho
Floriculture crops- California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, North Carolina
Beef cattle – Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota (corn belt area)
Dairy – Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine, (California, Idaho and Texas are leading producers but are not located in this region).
Hogs – North Carolina and Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota (Corn belt area)
Poultry (broilers) – Several southern and southeastern states including North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas  

19. North Carolina Agriculture
NC is divided into three basic geographic and agricultural regions; mountains, piedmont and coastal plains. (Although counties from another region may currently rank higher in production of a particular commodity, the commodities listed below represent what the region is traditionally known for producing.)

20. Mountain counties
Christmas trees
Apples
Trout

21. Piedmont counties
Greenhouse and Nursery crops
Broilers
Turkeys
Dairy

22. Eastern counties Hogs Turkeys Broilers Tobacco- flue-cured
Sweet potatoes
Vegetables
Peanuts
Cotton
Corn
Soybeans (world’s most important source of vegetable oil).

23. Farm Cash Receipts (2011 statistics)
Statewide exceeds $10,000,000,000 ($10B) annually
Livestock, Dairy and Poultry generate approximately 2/3 of all farm cash receipts. Broilers and hogs account for nearly half of this amount.
Crops generate approximately 1/3 of all farm cash receipts with greenhouse, nursery, floriculture and Christmas trees currently being the leaders in this category.

24. Global Agriculture
2.02

25. Global outlook
The world population will continue to grow with expectations of 9 billion humans on the planet by 2050.
More children survive to adulthood worldwide.
More adults are living longer worldwide.
Population growth will:
Add stress to environmental systems of air, water, soil and natural resources.
Create challenges to meet demands for food and fiber.
Examples of agriscience research to meet these demands.
Genetically engineered crops – ie. a bio-engineered tomato that resists rotting.
New fuel sources – ie. biodiesel from animal fat
Human nutrition – ie. decreasing the amount of animal fat in the diet and raising the proportion of fat from vegetable sources.
Satellite technology (gps) – ie. to determine various nutrient levels/deficiencies in plants.

26. Trends and Issues in Global Agriculture
 Agriculture will always be an essential industry.
Food is essential to life (an iPad is not).
Clothing and shelter are basic needs of humans; (smartphones are not).

27. Examples of current/future agriculture related issues (these will continue to change as our world changes).
Food insecurity – An issue of global importance. Defined as not knowing where a human will find their next meal. Or, the situation where people need to live with hunger and fear starvation. Food insecurity results from several factors including climate issues, urban development, corrupt governments, population growth and oil price shifts.
Sustainability – Rests on the principle that we must meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

28. Examples of current/future agriculture related issues (these will continue to change as our world changes).
Organic Food Production – Organic crops are raised without using most conventional pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, or sewage sludge- based fertilizers. Organically raised animals must be fed organic feed and be given access to the outdoors. Antibiotics and growth hormones may not be used in organic production. Organic sales account for more than 3% of all U.S. food sales.
GMO’s (genetically modified organisms) – Combing genes from different organisms results in an organism being called genetically modified or transgenic. Controversies surrounding this practice include safety, ethics, labeling and others. European countries will not purchase GMO foods from the US resulting in fewer exports to these countries.
Local Food Movement – No universally accepted definition but can be defined in terms of geographic proximity of producer to consumer. Is a very popular concept in the U.S. in regards to food safety, food freshness, and reduction of environmental impact due to shorter shipping distances.

29. Examples of current/future agriculture related issues (these will continue to change as our world changes).
CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) – are direct-to-consumer programs in which consumers buy shares of a local farms projected harvest. Consumers often pay for their share of the harvest up front which distributes risk between the farmer and the consumers. Participants often pick up their share regularly in a communal local or the shares are delivered directly to the consumer. USDA estimates as many as CSA’s are operating nationally.
Water (quantity and quality) – in the US water shortages are a major issue in the western portion of the nation where expanding cities needs such as Denver, are competing with farmers needs for the same diminishing water resources. In New York the aquifer that underlies Long Island represents the only drinking water for the 3 million plus residents that use it. In the Southeastern US, including North Carolina, Water Wars have become common place. In Third World countries a safe water supply is a luxury. In most areas of the world, supplies of safe water have become generally insufficient because of misuse, poor management, waste, pollution and climate change.

30. Examples of 2 year agriculturally related degree programs in NC
Examples of 2 year agriculturally related degree programs in NC. (A list of all schools and the degrees they offer can be found at the community colleges website or the NCSU Agriculture Institute website.)
Aquaculture Technology
Equine Business and Training
Fish and Wildlife Management Technology
Forest Management Technology
Golf Course Management
Greenhouse and Grounds Maintenance
Horticulture Technology
Landscape Gardening
Marine Sciences
Poultry Management
Sustainable Agriculture
Swine Management
Turfgrass Management
Viticulture Technology
Agricultural Biotechnology
Environmental Science Biotechnology
Agribusiness Management
Field Crops Technology
General Agriculture
Livestock and Poultry Management

31. Examples of 4 year agriculturally related degree programs in NC.
 Agricultural Economics
Agricultural Education
Animal Science
Biological Engineering
Landscape Architecture
Agricultural and Environmental Technology
Food Science
Plant and Soil Science
Poultry Science
Genetics
Horticultural Science