Agriculture: Facts, People, and Acronyms

Agriculture Facts, People, and Acronyms

• The United States Secretary of Agriculture oversees the United States Department of Agriculture.

• USDA stands for United States Department of Agriculture.

• California is the leading state regarding dairy production.

• The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) is the government agency involved in soil and water conservation.

• Scott Stump is the CEO of the National FFA Organization (check annually).

• Eddie Melton is the president of the Kentucky Farm Bureau (check annually).

• About 2 million farms function in the United States today.

• American farmers receive approximately 8 cents of each food dollar after accounting for inputs.

• US consumers spend 48% of their income on eating out.

• CRP stands for Conservation Reserve Program, which helps keep marginal land out of production.

• BQCA stands for Beef Quality Care and Assurance.

• California is the top state in agricultural production.

• Corn is the number one US farm commodity in terms of total sales.

• According to the USDA (check annually), there are 69,425 farming operations in Kentucky.

• Jonathan Shell is the Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture (check annually).

• Horses are the top agriculture export for Kentucky.

• Kentucky produces approximately 300 million broilers annually (check annually).

• The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) administers the Kentucky Proud program

• The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is responsible for checking scales, gas pumps, and amusement park rides.

• The average farm size in Kentucky is 179 acres (check annually).

• Kentucky has more than 2 million cattle and calves (check annually).

• Approximately 30% of Kentucky's corn and soybean crop is used annually by the poultry industry.

• Thoroughbred is the top breed of horses in Kentucky.

• Fayette is the top horse county in Kentucky.

• Henderson County is the top county in Kentucky for soybean production (check annually).

• Barren County is the top county in Kentucky for beef production (check annually).

• Kentucky has more cows than any state east of the Mississippi and ranks 8th (check annually) in total beef production.

• Between 40-50% of Kentucky's corn crop is fed to livestock each year.

• 15-20 million bushels of Kentucky corn is used each year to produce bourbon and spirits.

• Thaddeus Bergschneider is the National FFA President (check annually).

• Gregor Mendel is a German born scientist known for his work with the genetics of pea plants.

• Temple Grandin has written over 60 papers on animal behavior and is a well known advocate for humane animal treatment.

• Harriet Strong innovated water conservation by inventing a sophisticated irrigation and water control system.

• Benjamin Holt invented the track-type tractor, dispersing the weight of heavy machinery over loose soil.

• Whitney Evans is a Kentucky agriculture teacher featured in the 2024 #TeachAgDay documentary about the process of becoming an ag teacher.

• Corey Flournoy was the first National FFA president from an urban background.

• Javier Moreno was the first individual with a native language other than English to be elected National FFA president.

• The acronym "FY" in agribusiness stands for "Fiscal Year".

• The acronym "NRCS" stands for "Natural Resources Conservation Service"

• There are 25.4 million acres of land are in Kentucky OR 25 million

• 750 million acres of land are covered by trees in the United States

• There are ~250,000 Millennial farmers are estimated to be in the US (accept 255,000).

• According to the American Farm Bureau, 30% of today's farmers are women (check annually).

• For most animals to be bred, they must be in estrus.

• Cyrus McCormick invented the mechanical reaper.

• There are 43,560 square feet are in an acre

• John Deere invented the steel plow

• Soybeans and alfalfa are examples of legumes.

• Legumes take nitrogen from the air and put it into the soil.

• Sand, silt, and clay are the three types of soil particles.

• Soybean meal provides protein in animal rations.

• Henry Clay imported Hereford cattle to America.

• Henry Blair, an African American inventor, developed a seed planter.

• George Washington Carver introduced new methods of crop rotation and developed many uses for the peanut.

• Cambium is the active layer of cells responsible for the growth of a tree.

• Apples or apple trees are particularly vulnerable to Cedar Rust.

• The four cycles in an internal combustion engine are intake, compression, power (or combustion), and exhaust.

• In agriculture, PPM refers to parts per million

• There are 5 pounds of nitrogen in a 50 pound bag of 10-15-10 fertilizer.

• Hardiness refers to a plant's ability to withstand cold temperatures.

• Tall fescue is the most common cool season grass in Kentucky pastures (accept fescue).

• Rumen is the largest component of a ruminant digestive tract.

• The Morrill Act established land grant colleges.

• The term "polled" means born without horns

• A market hog takes about 6 months to reach market weight.

• Meat from a mature sheep is called mutton

• Angora goats produce mohair.

• Boer is the most popular meat breed of goats.

• Two identification methods used in livestock production are ear notches, tags, branding, and tattoos.

• AC are the letters used to represent a welding machine that uses an alternating electrical current.

• The protein that makes the white of an egg is albumen

• Biennial plants complete their life cycle in two growing seasons.

• Young meat chickens are known as broilers

• Carbohydrates are simple organic compounds that provide the body with energy.

• Chlorophyll is the green pigment in leaves.

• Depreciate is the term for a decline in value over time.

• A draft horse is taller than 17 hands and used for heavy work.

• Dual-purpose animals are used for more than one purpose (example: used for both milk and meat).

• The electrode holder grips the welding electrode.

• Farrow means to give birth to a litter of pigs.

• Parturition the act of giving birth.

• Gestation is the amount of time from breeding to birth. Grades are quality standards established by the USDA.

• An incubator is a device that regulates the environment so chicken embryos can develop properly.

• Lactose is the sugar naturally found in milk.

• Lanolin is grease-like substance that naturally coats sheep's wool.

• Loam is soil with approximately equal parts of sand, silt, and clay.

• Mutton is meat from sheep older than one year of age.

• Photosynthesis is process of food production in plants.

• A purebred animal that had the only original breed within its bloodlines.

• Topography is variation of the earth's surface, such as elevation and slope.

• Artificial insemination is the most common way to breed turkeys.

• Hens usually produce 1 egg in one day.

• False: Fertilization is NOT required for hens to lay eggs.

• Genetics is the study of heredity.

• Meterology is the study of earth's atmosphere and includes weather forecasting.

• Biofuels are fuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, made from living things.

• Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium are the macronutrients are included in most commercial fertilizers.

• Ohms Law states the relationship of volatage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit.

• Cranberries are commonly grown in New England in bogs.

• Salmonella food borne illness is often associated with poultry and eggs.

• 160 degrees Fahrenheit is the USDA recommended internal temperature when cooking ground meats.

• Red Maple is most common individual tree species in Kentucky.

• About 25% of US agriculture production is exported each year.

• A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds.

• The top four USDA grades of beef are Prime, Choice, Select, and Standard

• Feeder cattle are given a grade that consists of muscling and frame size.

• Bacon comes from the belly or pork belly cut of pork.

• Norman Borlaug is credited with saving millions of lives across the world through his work on wheat and rice breeding

• Oranges, lemons, and limes are categoized as citrus fruit.

• Broilers are considered mature at 3-7 pounds depending on the species and it takes them about 8 weeks to reach maturity.

• Eggs have over 6 grams of protein and 70 calories.

• Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May and draws thousands of people to Kentucky each year.

• The gestation period for horses is approximately 11 months (accept 330 days or 345 days).

• Soybeans originated in China.

• The most common crop rotation system in Kentucky involves corn, wheat, and soybeans

• Cover cropping, planting wheat, rye, radishes, and other crops are a common method in the fall to prevent erosion during the winter (accept cover crop).

• Soybean meal is the byproduct available for use as a high protein animal feed after soybean oil is extracted.

• Soybean oil is found in various food products, including salad dressings, margarine, and chocolates.

• Angus is the most popular breed of beef cattle originated in Europe.

• Beef cattle reach maturity and are harvested in the weight range is 1200-1400 pounds.

• Around 35 million bushels of corn are used to produce ethanol fuel.

• Dr. Shirley Phillips of the University of Kentucky is considered one of the pioneers of no-till agriculture.

• Harry Young, Jr., a Christian County farmer helped write textbooks and educational materials about no-till practices

• The pistil is this female reproductive organ of a flower, containing the stigma, style, and ovaries.

• The stamen is the male part of a flower.

• Sepals The outer parts of the flower (often green and leaf-like) that enclose a developing bud.

• Endosperm is the part of a seed that stores reserve food for the embryo.

• Corn was domesticated in Mexico ~10,000 years ago (accept maize).

• The Conservation reserve program, administered by the USDA, pays farmers to keep marginal farm land out of production.

• The three C's of credit used by lenders in making a loan Capacitiy, collateral, and character

• A business organization that is owned by it's customers is known as a cooperative.

• Grafting is the method uses in fruit production, this method involved joining the scion of one plant with the understock of another plant.

• Tractors, breeding animals, land, and equipment are categorized as non-current or capital assets.

• Futures contact is the two word answer required for a legal agreement to buy or sell a commodity at a future date at a set price.

• Ossification is solidification of cartilage into bone.

• Colostrum is the first milk produced by the mother, aids in starting digestion and imparts immuntiy to the young animal.

• The blastula develops into ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm distinct layers.

• Mitosis and meiosis are the two types of cell division.

• An organ is a collection of tissues that work together to perform certain functions.

• Horses have an enlarged organ that allows for extensive microbial fermentation of roughage known as cecum

• Appendicular skeleton, the part of the skeleton that consist of the fore and hind limbs.

• Weaning horses usually occurs when between three to six months of age

• Horsemanship is term for riding and managing horses.

• Frog refers to the V-shaped pad in the middle of the sole of the hoof.

• Floating a common practice to reduce the discomfort of sharp edges in the teeth.

• Foaling means to gives birth for horses.

• Farrier the term for an individual who trims hooves and puts on shoes for horses.

• Colic is the one of the leading cause of death for horses.

• Horses gestate for 336 days.

• Bridle part of the harness places on the horse's head for controlling and guiding it.

• A hannd is a unique measurement for horses, equal to 4 inches

• A hinny offspring of a male horse and female donkey

• A stud or stud horse is A male horse kept for breeding

• Tack is the general equiptment used for horses

• Jack refers to A male donkey.

• A gelding is a male horse that has been castrated before reaching sexual maturity.

• A unique characteristic of the Clydesdale is its long heair on the legs known as feather

• Molting is the period of time when birds shed and renew their feather.

• Chickens used to produce fertile eggs that will be hatched to become broilers

• Pullets are typically mature enough to begin laying eggs at 24 weeks of age?

• The mortaility rate should be no more than 5% in a broiler production unit

• Minnesota is the leading state for Turkey production (check annually)

• The Broad-Breasted White is the most popular breed of turkey grown in the U.S.(check annually)

• China is the leading country in hen egg production (check annually)

• Cutability is the term for the amount of available retail cuts from a carcass.

• The term for a breed traditionally used for more than one purpose is dual-purpose breed

• The desirable presence of fat in muscle is called marbling

• The removal of horns from horned breed cattle is dehorning

• The fat content of milk is referred to as butterfat

• Metabolic disorder is A disease resulting in the inability of an animal to proper use of nutrients

• Concentrates are feeds, such as grains or protein supplements, that allow the direct to be high-energy based

• Conformation term refers to the type and shape of an animal.

• Pedigree stands for term refers a record of ancestry or heredity.

• Boat is the term to describe a mature male hog

• Mohair's A versatile fabric is for warm and cold weather made from the hair of Angora goats

• Australia is The top wool-producing nation

• Texas This the leading state in sheep production in the United States (check annually)

• The three major vegetative parts of the plant are leaf, root, stem.

• Asexual for type of propagation when using a cutting

• A pH of 7.0 is considered neutral.

• Soil that contains equal amounts of sand, silt, and clay is termed loam

• Layout tool is uses for mark material before cutting or shaping is done?

• A fastener is any device used to hold two or more pieces of material together or in place?

• six sides on a hexagon nut

• A sqare yard has nine square feet

• 144 cubic inches are in one board foot?

• The name for that using a wood file, material from the wood can build up on the file preventing effective use is A file card

• Lumber gains of wood is caused by annual rings.

• Set is the tool used to push nail heads

• A framing square is flat square with a body and tongue that is usually made of steel.

• tape, term that refers to a flexible measuring device that rolls into a case.

• plumb line layout tool used when building walls to determine vertical alignment.

• Knots lumber defect caused by an embedded branch or a limb that reduces the strength of the wood.

• Seasoning reduces the moisture content of lumber to the required level specified for its grade or use is known as

• Lignin the cell walls of trees are held together with a natural material called:

• 19% is a suitable measure for commercially for framing and outside finish should be dried to a moisture content less than

• Gauge a term for a nail size unit represented using the lowercase "d" and indicates the length of the nail.

• Relay is a device that controls one electrical circuit by opening and closing contacts in another circuit

• Motor-circuit switch for a switch rated in horsepower is capable of interrupting the maximum operating overload current of a motor of the sa

• 00 awg American Wire Gauge size indicates shows the largest wire diameter

• the engine component slides back and forth due to forces produced during the combustion process acting as the piston.

• Continous wire the GMAW welding process typically uses electrodes

• Duty Time shows proportion of time that a welder can operate without overheating is known as its

• GMAW in relation to welding Gas Metal Arc Welding

• GTAW in relation to weldin means Gas Tungsten Arc Welding

• The relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in an electrical circuit that states that current in a circuit Ohm's Law

• 55,000 Miles does it take one hive of bees to produce a pound of honey?

• Smith-Hughes Act Which act provided the federal funds to promote vocational education in agriculture to present and prospective farmers?

• Two years How long does it take for one pineapple to grow?

• Pigs can run a mile in 7 minutes.

• 1954. The year did the number of tractors on farms in the United States surpass the number of horses and mules for the fir

• A Mile is 5280 Feet

• Irrigation (underground) Drip, overhead, and hand-watering are all examples of what type of greenhouse production system?

• The day length, or the period of time each day during which an organism receives illumination, is known as photoperiod

• The term for a record of ancestry or heredity To term to describe:

• A mature male hog Boar

• Acrylic, polycarbonate, and glazing matrials are example of hat greenhouse structure?

• Cattle that lack horns by natural or artificial means: Polled

• An operation used to breed and birth cattle for sale Cow-calf

• The wall, white line, sole, frog, and bulb are all parts of a horse's Hoof

• Draft horses are typically 16 to 18 hands and may weigh upward of 200 lbs

• Adventitious referring the of rooting system is one forms stem other

• The condition in livestock animals where excessive gasses build up in the rumen Bloat

• A terrestrial ecosystem is found on land like prairies, woodlands, mountains, terrains

• Greenhouse is the is to describe structure is to describe the environment to grow plant.

• Tilth the general condition

• Crees

• 45 degrees Fahrenheit is for milk temperature need stay, after cooled.

• Direct and alternating (or) AC and DC types of electrical currents

• 25120 is gallons of silos hold

• Integrated Pest Management This added - Lime crushed is to raise PH of soil

• 33 What are the two A silo

• 60 What is IPM? Lime or crushed limestone

• A hormone prepares a dairy cow's uterus for pregnancy and prevents the cow from returning to estrus Progesterone

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