1. Agriculture and Society
Pa E & E Standards 4.4

2. I. Introduction
When you open your refrigerator to look for something to eat, do you ever stop to think about all the steps it takes for the food to go from the farm to your kitchen?
Not likely…
Let’s look at some facts about food…

3. Food is essential for life!!
Currently the world population is 6.6 billion people. Is everyone’s food needs being met?
No, why not?
3. What if I tell you that the world population is expected to grow by 50% by What would the population look like in 2050?
Roughly 10 billion people…How are we going to feed them?

4. 4. What if I told you that if everyone in the world were vegetarians, could feed 10 billion people with our present technology.
Why is this not a reality?
Because we, the U.S. and other countries, enjoy eating meat. This diminishes our ability to supply enough food to the people on this Earth.
What are some other reasons?

5. II. Background 1. Let’s look at Agriculture in the U. S
II. Background 1. Let’s look at Agriculture in the U.S. and in Pennsylvania.
Agriculture in the U.S. has changed a lot in the last 200 years.
In 1790, 95% of the population were farmers.
In 2000, only 2% of the population are farmers.

6. Despite the small percentage, the U.S. supplies:
25% of the world’s beef.
15% of the world’s grain, milk, and eggs.
25% of the world’s food exports.
The U.S. is blessed with some of the most fertile soils and favorable climates, but most of all, the most advanced farm practices and equipment.

7. Farms cover about 1/3 of Pennsylvania with southeastern part the most fertile.
There are roughly 60,000 farms.
Rank 18th out of 50 states in annual income produced by farms.

8. 6. Milk is probably the most important agricultural product
6. Milk is probably the most important agricultural product. Mushrooms are the number one crop.
Also corn, oats, potatoes, soybeans, tomatoes, apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries.
Also cut flowers, houseplants, landscaping plants, and Christmas trees.

9. III. Food Production
When we think farming, we often picture the small family farms.
However, most of the food produced are on large farms owned and operated by large corporations.

10. It is interesting that small family farms still outnumber large farms but have been declining due to competition.
The number of farms has decreased from 6.5 million to about 2 million in 2000.
At the same time, farm size has increased from 143 acres to 434 acres.

11. IV. The Green Revolution
One the keys to success of U.S. agriculture (and to other industrialized countries) has been the green revolution.
The green revolution is the result of improving farming methods by using scientifically engineered crops, the latest farming technology, and increases in fertilizers, pesticides, and water to increase crop yields.

12. Everything is done on a large-scale with less land.
Food production has doubled without increasing the amount of land.
Facilities can raise large numbers of livestock with machines providing food and water.
Irrigation allows food to be produced in previously unsuitable areas.

13. The extra production means that:
Food is cheaper.
People eat better.
The standard of living improves.
Surplus food can be sold as exports.
Sounds great!!!
But…

14. Drawbacks of the green revolution.
Large scale livestock facilities sometimes means problems in handling animal wastes and odors.
Large scale farms rely heavily on oil-based fertilizers and pesticides.
The overuse also leads to pollution (NPS), desertification, water shortages, pest resistance, etc…

15. V. From Farm to Market
Farming has changed from being local and often personal to global and impersonal.
We don’t know who grows our food or where it comes from.
In some cases, we can buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmer’s markets or roadside stands.
2. 90% of the foods we buy are processed – frozen, dried, powdered, canned, or otherwise altered from their natural state.

16. In most cases, the food from farms are shipped thousands of miles to:
Huge food processors or
Wholesalers who then sell the food to supermarkets and school cafeterias.
In both cases, food often takes weeks to go from the farm to your kitchen.

17. Most food passes through the following farm to market steps:
Production - growing/raising the food.
Food Processing – transforms the raw food stuffs from the farm into the food that you consume.
Simple – food is washed
Complicated – dry, can, freeze, pickle, powder, juice, mix, etc…
c. Packaging – protects food and adds attractive labels with recognizable brands and key words such as “Organic, Natural, Low-fat or No Preservatives.”

18. d. Transportation and Distribution – Since most is consumed far from the place it is grown, trucks, trains (sometimes refrigerated) and even planes transport food to processing plants and then to wholesalers.
Wholesalers store the food and sell it to restaurants, supermarkets, retailers, bakeries, and schools.
Marketing – the advertising, buying and selling of products from retailers.
f. Regulations – the USDA regulates agriculture for food safety, production safety, packaging accuracy, import safety, and environment safety.
g. Research and Development – developing new crops or products. Developing better or different varieties to please the consumer.

19. VI. The Progression of Farming
Most of the developed countries of the world use the highly industrialized agriculture practiced in the U.S.
However, agriculture in the developing countries of the world varies due to location, economics, and climate.
Most of the developing countries cannot afford all the technologies of the green revolution.
So what do they do?

20. Most countries still practice traditional subsistence farming.
Subsistence farming is farming that just meets the needs of the farmer and their family.
In subsistence farming, farmers mainly use human or animal labor. Crop yields are low due to the smaller scale and lack of fertilizers and pesticides.
Sometimes there are traditional intensive farms (similar to ones in developing countries).
Traditional intensive farming use more labor and some technology to produce more food to provide for both the family and for income.

22. 7. Subsistence farmers in tropical areas practice:
Shifting cultivation – where plots of land are cleared and only farmed for a few years before moving to a new plot of land.
Slash and burn cultivation – where plots of land are cut and burned and farmed similar to shifting cult.

23. Problems with farming in tropical areas of the world.
Most of the nutrients in tropical areas are held in the plants not the soil.
Farming is limited to 2 to 5 years on a plot of land. New land needs to be cleared.
Heavy rainfall promotes soil erosion and nutrient loss.
Exposure to the sun, bakes and hardens the soil.

24. VII. Major Agricultural Regions of the U. S.

25. The USDA recognizes ten U. S. farming regions
The USDA recognizes ten U.S. farming regions. The climate, soil, and landforms of each region influence the agricultural products it produces.

26. fruits and vegetables, milk, mushrooms, fish, and poultry.
a. The Northeast – Cold winters and thin, stony soil to moderate climate and ample rainfall.
fruits and vegetables, milk, mushrooms, fish, and poultry.
Close to highly populated areas
b. The Lake States – excellent farm land.
Dairy farms, fruits, vegetables, eggs, hogs, and field crops (corn, hay, wheat.)

27. c. The Appalachian States – partly mountainous but productive farmland
Peanuts, cattle, hogs, dairy, and tobacco.
d. The Southeast – plentiful rainfall, mild summers, and cool winters.
All livestock, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, peanuts, and cotton.

28. e. The Delta States – fertile farmland along the Mississippi River flood plain.
livestock, rice, corn, sugarcane, and fishing (including shellfish).
f. The Corn Belt – It has fertile land and a favorable climate
Great corn growing area, soybeans, hogs, cattle, and dairy.

29. The Northern and Southern Plains – grasslands that vary in rain from east to west.
Grass crops – wheat, corn, barley, sorghum, and hay. Cattle in the west.
The Mountain States – varied terrain, most farming in valleys.
Fruits, vegetables, cattle, and sheep.

30. The Pacific Region – the most diverse region.
Fruits and vegetables, dairy, wheat, sugarcane, pineapples.