Progress in Agriculture Objective: Summarize historical agriculture discoveries that increased the global production of food and fiber

Progress Through Engineering Little progress in agriculture is recorded before 1800 AD The use of Iron revolutionized American and European agriculture Most of the world did not catch on as fast

Progress Through Engineering Mechanization helps 2% of Americas work force meet the food and fiber needs of our nation There has been a reduction of 90% in production farming in the last 200 years

Eli Whitney Invented the cotton gin 1793 Transformed cotton to a usable product Removed cotton seed from cotton fiber

Eli Whitneys Cotton Gin

Katherine Greene Widow of Revolutionary general, Nathaniel Greene Whitney worked on Ms. Greenes farm Some say Ms. Greene invented the cotton gin

Cyrus McCormick Invented the grain reaper 1834 Cut grains Cut wheat, oats, and other crops

Cutting Grain With the sickle or reaping hook one man could cut from one- half to one acre in a hard day's work. The cut grain was later bound by hand

The Reaper

While this first machine required only 2 people for operation (a person to ride the horse and a man to rake the cut grain from the platform), it cut as much grain in one day as men with reaping hooks.

Grain Reaper

McCormick Reaper

Cast Iron Plow Invented in the early 1800s Thomas Jefferson Rough surface that dirt stuck to

Steel Moldboard Plow Invented 1837 John Deere Smoother surface Rich clay soil did not stick to it Made plowing easier and faster

Corn Picker Invented in 1850 Edmund Quincy Helped speed up the harvesting of corn

Corn Picker

Modern Corn Picker

Milking Machine Invented in 1878 Anna Baldwin Used vacuum suction Replaced hand milking

Modern Milking Machine

Tractor Invented in 1904 Benjamin Holt Replaced the mule as a source of power Horse power

Steam powered Caterpillar tractor built by Holt in 1908.

Trends in Agriculture

World Outlook The world population will continue to grow because More children are surviving to adulthood More adults are living longer

World Outlook Population growth will: Add stress to environmental systems of air, water, soil, and natural resources Create challenges to meet the demands for food and fiber (clothing and shelter)

World Outlook Agriculture will always be an essential industry Increased commercialization of agriculture will continue New types of farming such as aquaculture will be used as well as traditional farming methods

World Outlook The science of food production, processing, and distribution will require: College graduates to fill roles as scientists, engineers, and other professionals Careers in agriscience products and distribution to grade, transport, process, package and market agriculture commodities.

World Outlook The projection is for the average size of farms in the U.S. to increase while the number of farms decrease.

Commodities In the mid 1990s, the number one meat export as far as tonnage shipped from the U.S. was poultry.

Commodities Corn ranks in the top five U.S. grain exports year after year.

Commodities In North Carolina the top three agricultural commodities in terms of cash receipts in the late 1990s were hogs, broilers, and tobacco.

Commodities Soybeans are the worlds most important source of vegetable oil and provide basic materials for hundreds of products.

Green Revolution vs. Green Industry

Green Revolution The Green Revolution was the process where many countries became self- sufficient in food production by using improved crop varieties and practices.

Green Industry Green Industry is the modern horticulture industry with emphasis on turf and landscape plants.