What is Agriculture_.pptx

Revisit your definition of agriculture. What various sectors do you believe exist to make your definition possible? What comes to mind when you think of the world agriculture? Draw a picture of what you think agriculture is. What if I told you it also looked like t...

Revisit your definition of agriculture. What various sectors do you believe exist to make your definition possible? What comes to mind when you think of the world agriculture? Draw a picture of what you think agriculture is. What if I told you it also looked like this?  What is Agriculture?  Agriculture is… - According to Merriam-Webster - the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products - Many different sectors of this very large industry exist - These sectors are classified by the type of work they include - Allows for maximum efficiency - Includes growing/producing, processing, marketing, distribution, sales, and services - A very small part of this industry deals with production agriculture! - Largest Industry in the world employing 10.3% of the workforce totalling almost 20 million people  So what is agriculture? Plants Clothin Animal g Food s Shelte achi ne r M r Medicin y Distr ibutio e n Sales & Scienc  Agronomy - Deals with field crop production and soil management - Agronomy as a Career (Agronomist) - works with crops that are grown on a large scale and that require relatively little management - Researching Agronomy - experiments focus on a variety of factors relating to crop plants - Including yield, diseases, cultivation, pest and weed management, and sensitivity to factors such as climate and soil  Horticulture - The branch of plant agriculture that deals with garden crops, generally fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. - Deals with growing plants for food, comfort, and beauty through garden management and also intensive commercial production operations - Divided into three segments - Ornamental Horticulture - Olericulture - Pomology  Horticulture - Ornamental - The growing of plants for their beauty - Floriculture: production, transportation, and use of foliage plants - Generally cut flowers, pot plants, and greenery - Landscape Horticulture: production and use of plants to make the outdoor environment more appealing - Includes lawn turf and nursery crops - Interiorscaping: the use of foliage plants to create pleasing and comfortable areas inside buildings  Horticulture - Olericulture - Growing, harvesting, storing, processing, and marketing of vegetables Horticulture - Pomology - Growing, harvesting, storing, processing, and marketing of fruits and nuts Animal Production/Animal Science - Concerned with the science and business of producing domestic livestock species, including but not limited to beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, poultry, sheep and swine - Not just raising livestock animals, it is also: - Processing and Consumption of food animal products - Use of Companion Animals - Maintenance of animal health and well-being - Includes: applied animal physiology, nutrition, breeding and genetics, ecology and ethology, livestock and poultry management, and veterinary sciences  Aquaculture - The production of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions throughout part or all their lifecycle - More than production of seafood! It is also: - Researching new technologies and systems - Maintaining healthy ecosystems - Evaluating aquatic animal health  Agricultural Mechanics - Perform repairs on various types of equipment - Maintains machinery used by farmers - Test machine systems - Troubleshoot problems when they arise - Help to keep farmer’s productivity high - Typically work on: tractors, tractor attachments, plows, fertilizer spreaders, harvesters, seeders, balers, & trailers  Forestry & Natural Resources - The cultivation and conservation of forests, wildlife, and other natural resources - Conservation is the act of protecting Earth’s natural resources (air, minerals, plants, soil, water & wildlife) for current and future generations - Forests are important because - Trees produced as a renewable resource for wood or biomass for direct timber sales, production of trees for ornamental planting or woody materials for composite products or for the use of a combustion energy source  Soil Science - The study of soil and land management as it relates to use by humans - Provides the basis for understanding the interactions between soil and plants - Helps farmers to create productive and sustainable agricultural systems - Allows farmers to grow more food on less land - Looks for soil conditions that are optimal for growing crops  Agriscience & Biotechnology - Agriscience is simply the application of science to agriculture through research and innovation in methods to improve efficiency, quality, and usefulness of ag products - Agricultural Biotechnology is the act of using various tools to improve traditional breeding techniques that will biologically alter living organisms, to make or modify products that will improve plants or animals or develop microorganisms for specific agricultural uses - Provides farmers with tools to can make production cheaper and more manageable  Agribusiness - Nonfarm work in the agricultural industry - Ten times more people are employed in agribusiness than in farming - Two main areas: - Supplies & Services - Marketing & Processing Agribusiness - Supplies & Services - Includes the inputs - Items used in growing crops or raising animals Agribusiness - Marketing & Processing - Involves activities that transform agricultural products into forms people want So how do we get a product?  Production - Farmers grow the plant or raises the animal - Agricultural Services aids the farmer by providing services needed in the production of the plant/animal - Veterinarians - Feed Suppliers - Seed Salesman - Crop Spraying - Extension Agencies - Farmer then sells the crops/animals to a manufacturer  Processing - Manufacturer processes the crop/animal making it usable for the consumer - Manufacturer packages the product to get it to the consumer - Manufacturer labels the good for consumer awareness  Marketing - Manufacturer hires an advertising company to market their newly finished good so that consumers will purchase it - Advertising can be at a wholesale, retail or even consumer level  Distribution - After a wholesale, retail or consumer is interested in the product from the marketing, it can be shipped by truck, train, or boat to the buyer’s location - It is then stocked into stores around the world - Once it is stocked, the consumer has product availability to purchase the product (aka sales)  How can products be made available to everyone?  Imports & Exports - If a commodity is not available in an area (or not enough is available), it can be purchased from somewhere else either in a raw form or in product/by-product form - Import: a commodity that is purchased from another country and shipped to the US - Imports expand food variety, stabilize year-round supplies of fresh products, and moderate increases in food prices - Export: a commodity that is grown in the US but shipped to another country - Mainly bulk commodities and high-value products  Go to the linked website on google classroom from the American Farm Bureau Foundati on for Agriculture Answer the following on your notes page: Does the US import or export more? What does the US export? What does the US import?