Agricultural Industry AU PART 1: Ag Areas and Inventions

A. Agriscience defined: 1. Agriscience is the application of scientific principles and new technologies to agriculture.

Agriscience 2. Also considered an applied science because it applies knowledge of biology, chemistry and physics in practical ways.

Agriscience a.Agronomists use biology and chemistry to develop new ways to control weeds. b.Entomologists use biology and chemistry to develop new ways to control insects.

Entomology

Agronomy

Agriscience c. Agricultural engineers use physics to develop new, more efficient machinery.

Agriscience 3. Agriscience employs the scientific method to solve problems in agriculture.

B. Agriculture defined: 1.Agriculture is concerned with the production, processing, marketing and distribution of all agricultural products, related supplies and services.

2.Examples: a.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.

2.Examples: b. 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

2.Examples: c. 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

C. Agribusiness defined: 1.Agribusiness refers to commercial firms (businesses) that have developed with or stemmed out of agriculture. 2.Examples of Agribusiness: a.Farm related: Chemical Company, Tractor Manufacturer, Pharmaceutical Company (veterinary medicines) b.Horticulture related: Landscape or nursery business, Seed company, Mower Manufacturer

D.Renewable Natural Resources defined: 1.Resources provided by nature that can replace or renew themselves. 2.Examples of natural resources a.Wildlife – deer, songbirds, birds of prey, fish, rabbits b.Forests – trees, grasses,

E. Progress in U.S. Agriculture 1.Mechanization helps 2% of America’s work force produce the food and fiber to meet the needs of our nation. 2.There has been a reduction from 90% of nations populace involved in farming 200 years ago to less than 2% in 2012.

E. Progress in U.S. Agriculture 3. Major inventions/improvements and inventors/researchers

Cotton gin (1793) a.Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin to transform cotton to a usable product by removing the cottonseed from the cotton fiber.

Early Cotton Gin

George Washington Carver b.Soil improvement and crop rotation (late 1890’s) - George Washington Carver developed crop rotations and the use of legumes (plants that “make” their own nitrogen, ie. peanuts) to significantly improve soil fertility in the U.S. south.

Grain Reaper (1834) c.Grain reaper (1834) Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper to save labor in cutting, wheat, oats, and similar crops.

Jethro Tull Invented the horse drawn seed drill

Grain Reaper

Iron plow d. Iron plow (early 1800’s) Thomas Jefferson inventor of first iron plow.

Seed Planter e.Seed planter (1834) and Cotton planter (1836) - Henry Blair

Steel Moldboard Plow f. Steel moldboard plow (1837) John Deere improved the iron plow by inventing the steel moldboard plow.

Corn Picker g. Corn picker (1850) Edmund Quincy

Corn Picker

Barbed Wire h.Barbed wire (1874) Joseph Glidden – dramatically changed raising livestock. Barbed wire tattoos came much later.

Milking Machine i.Milking machine (1878) Anna Baldwin changed the dairy industry by inventing a machine to replace hand milking.

Thomas Elkins j.Perishable food preservation (1879) Thomas Elkins designed a device that helped with the task of preserving perishable foods by way of refrigeration.

Early Steam Tractors

Steam powered Caterpillar tractor built by Holt in 1908.

Tractor k. Tractor (1904) Ben Holt invented the tractor which came to replace the mule as the sources of power (horse power).

1954 In 1954 there were more tractors than horses used for power on the farm.

Gene Gun l. Gene gun (1987) John Sanford developed a device for injecting cells with genetic information.

GPS Technology m.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 Machine n. 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.

F. Establishment of Land Grant Institution 1. 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).

2. Examples a. North Carolina A&T (1890) Greensboro, NC b. North Carolina State University (1887) Raleigh, NC c. Clemson University (1889) Clemson, SC d. University of Georgia (1785) Athens, GA e. University of Tennessee (1794) Knoxville, TN f. Virginia Tech. University (1872) Blacksburg, VA

G.Agriculture Related Government Industries 1. Established to assist farmers, ranchers and the general public with information, professional assistance and, in some cases, funding.

2. Examples: a. 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: 1) NRCS (1935) - Natural Resource Conservation Service 2) APHIS (1972) – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

3) NASS (1863) – National Agricultural Statistics Service 4) 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.

b.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.

Examples: c.North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) – To provide services that promote and improve agriculture.

H. Origins of Major Food Crops 1.Fruits and Vegetables a. Peaches - China b. Tomato – South America c. Peanut – Peru, South America d. Sweet potato – Central America

H. Origins of Major Food Crops 2. Grain, Oil and Fiber Crops a. Corn – Cuba, Mexico b. Soybeans – Southeast Asia c. Cotton – Mexico, Africa, Pakistan d. Wheat – Southwest Asia (Syria, Jordan, Turkey, India)

I. Major US Agricultural Production Regions for Selected Crops and Livestock 1. Regions develop based on a variety of factors including soils, weather, market development, feed availability, etc.

Examples 2. Examples of agricultural production regions and/ or states that generally rank high in U.S. production. a. Citrus fruit – Florida, Texas and California b. Corn belt – Includes all or parts of these Midwestern states: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska

Examples: d. Spearmint – Washington, Oregon, Idaho e. Floriculture crops- California, Florida, Michigan, Texas, North Carolina f. Beef cattle – Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota (corn belt area) g. 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). h. Hogs – North Carolina and Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota (Corn belt area) i. Poultry (broilers) – Several southern and southeastern states including North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas

Wheat a. 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) b. 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.

J.North Carolina Agriculture 1.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.)

Examples a. Mountain counties 1) Christmas trees 2) Apples 3) Trout b. Piedmont counties 1) Greenhouse and Nursery crops 2) Broilers 3) Turkeys 4) Dairy

Examples c.Eastern counties 1)Hogs 2)Turkeys 3)Broilers 4)Tobacco- flue-cured 5)Sweet potatoes 6)Vegetables 7)Peanuts

Examples c. Eastern counties 1)Hogs 2)Turkeys 3)Broilers 4)Tobacco- flue-cured 5)Sweet potatoes 6)Vegetables 7)Peanuts 8)Cotton 9)Corn 10) Soybeans (world’s most important source of vegetable oil).

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