Commercial Agriculture Where & why there.

Commercial Agriculture: Characteristics Food is NOT consumed on farm Food produced is for sale, sometimes thousands of miles from where it is produced ex: grapes grown in Chile consumed in US, soy beans from Brazil to China • Generally less labor intensive than subsistence ag • Fertilizers and machinery necessary to produce large quantities of food • Generally practiced in developed countries, one exception is plantation agriculture

Mixed livestock & crop farming + dairying These two commercial ag practices are less extensive than wheat farming and cattle ranching They are practiced in mid-latitude regions in developed countries in climates that get at least 20 inches of precipitation per year They are generally located closer to the market Mixed livestock and grain = grain by the farmer is used to feed animals such as cattle and hogs. The animals are sold for profit

Extensive Commercial Agriculture: Cereal grains, livestock ranching, plantation ag. Extensive = large amount of land to produce a profit. Wheat farming, livestock ranching take place in arid/semi-arid climates in developed parts of the world • Generally, land has to be less expensive so the farmer can afford to farm large areas to produce a profit. • Distance from markets is often large - most grains easy and cheap to store and transport

Plantation Agriculture Is generally extensive in terms of the size of the farm, but may be intensive due to use of manual labor to maintain and harvest the crop Many plantations are located in developing countries (LCDs), but are owned by large corporations and their products are used in the developed world Tea, sugar cane, coffee, cacao, cotton, rubber, tobacco, etc. Often plantation ag takes place in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world

Market Gardening (truck farming) Is the most intensive form of commercial agriculture Often the produce is harvested by hand Generally takes place near the market as the product is perishable and may be expensive to transport (although this is changing due to technology) In the US major market garden regions are found along the coasts

Illicit Agriculture Coca (for cocaine) Opium poppy (for heroin) Marijuana

Commercial Ag Summary