Introduction to Agriculture
Understand Global Agriculture
Objective 2.01: Understand the history of
global agriculture.
Agriscience Defined
Agriscience- The
application of scientific
principles and new
technologies to
agriculture
Applied Science vs. Basic Science
Basic Sciences
Areas of Agriscience
The Basic Sciences
1) Biology- The study of living things
2) Chemistry- Deals with elements and
simple substances
3) Biochemistry- Focuses on chemistry as it
is applied over living things.
Fact!!!
A United States Department
of Agricultural study
forecast that job
opportunities for graduates
in agricultural and life
sciences will exceed the
graduates available in the
coming years.
Applied Sciences
Definition- The application of one or more of the basic
sciences for practical (real life) purposes.
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Aquaculture
Agricultural Engineering
Animal Science
Crop Science
Agronomy
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Soil Science
Biotechnology
Horticulture
Hydroponics
Agriscience Examples
• Agronomy
– Uses biology and chemistry to
produce and control crops
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Cotton
Soybeans
Tobacco
Corn
Hay and Turf grass
Agriscience Examples
• Entomology
– Uses biology and chemistry to
study insect life
• Agriculture Engineering
– Uses physics to develop new
machines, tools and implements
Agriscience Examples
• Biotechnology
– Uses biology, genetics, and chemistry to modify or
change organisms for a useful purpose
Scientific Method
• Agriculture and
other sciences use
the Scientific
Method to solve
problems (we will
discuss this more in Objective
3.02)
What is Agriculture?
• The activities concerned with the
production of plants, animals, and related
supplies, mechanics, products, processing,
and marketing
– Production agriculture (farming) only accounts
for 1/5th of the total agriculture jobs in the US
• USDA refers to agriculture as
“agriculture/agribusiness and renewable
natural resources.
Examples of Agriculture:
• 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.
Examples of Agriculture
• 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
Examples of Agriculture
• Roses
– Production – flower grower, roses
– Processing/Marketing – harvesters, wholesale and
retail florist
– Transportation – plane, truck, floral delivery dealer
– Related Supplies and Services – glass vase sales,
greenhouse manufacturers, floral designers
What is Agribusiness?
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Refers to commercial firms that have
developed with or stemmed out of agriculture
– Take a moment to name three agribusinesses in
your notes:
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John Deere
Monsanto
Tractor Supply
D.D. McColl’s
FCX
Examples of Agribusiness:
• Farm related
– Chemical company, tractor manufacturer,
pharmaceutical company (veterinary
medicines)
• Horticulture related
– Landscape or nursery business, seed
company, mower manufacturer
Renewable Natural Resources
• Resources provided by nature that can
replace or renew themselves.
• Important both economically and for
posterity’s sake to maintain life.
• Examples
– Wildlife
– Trees
– Fish
Progress in Agriculture
• Mechanization helps 2% of America’s work force meet
the food and fiber needs of our nation
• There has been a reduction from 90% of nations
populace involved in farming 200 years ago to less
than 2% in 2012.
– Farms are becoming larger and fewer.
Eli Whitney
• Invented the cotton
gin
• 1793
• Transformed cotton to
a usable product
• Removed cotton seed
from cotton fiber
Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin
George Washington Carver
• Late 1890s
• Soil improvement and crop rotation
– Use of “legumes”
• Crops that “make” their own nitrogen, ie. Peanuts.
– Improved soil fertility in the US South.
Cyrus McCormick
• 1834
• Invented the grain
reaper
• 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 12-16 men
with reaping hooks.
Cast Iron Plow
• Invented in the
early 1800’s
• Thomas
Jefferson
• Rough surface
that dirt stuck to
Henry Blair
• 1834 – Seed Planter
• 1836 – Cotton Planter
Steel Moldboard Plow
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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
Joseph Glidden
• 1874
• Barbed Wire
• Dramatically changed raising livestock
Milking Machine
• Invented in 1878
• Anna Baldwin
• Used vacuum
suction
• Replaced hand
milking
Thomas Elkins
• 1879
• Perishable Food Preservation
• Designed a device that helped
preserve food by way of
refrigeration.
Benjamin Holt
• Invented in 1904
• Tractor
• Replaced the
mule as a source
of power
– Horse power
John Sanford
• 1987
• Gene gun
– Device for injecting cells with genetic
information
GPS & GIS
• 1993
• Tractor based GPS systems together with
sophisticated GIS used to gather data
• Used for
– Soil condition, humidity, temperature and
other variables, which system then uses to
control such things as intensity of planting,
application of fertilizer and pesticides, water
schedules, etc.
Robotic Milking Machines
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Late 1990s
First used in Ontario, Canada
Reduction in labor
High initial cost = disadvantage to small
producer
Establishment of Land Grant
Institutions
NCSU
NC A&T State University
Clemson
Definition
• An institution designated by its state
legislature to receive funding (Morrill Acts
of 1862 and 1890) to teach agriculture,
military tactics, and the mechanical arts.
• Key component is the agricultural
experiment station (Hatch Act 1887)
Examples
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North Carolina A&T (1890)- Greensboro, NC
North Carolina State University (1887) – Raleigh, NC
Clemson University (1889) – Clemson, SC
University of Georgia (1785) – Athens, GA
University of Tennessee (1794) – Knoxville, TN
Virginia Tech University (1872) – Blacksburg, VA
Government Agencies
Agriculture related Agencies
• Established to assist farmers, ranchers,
and the general public with information,
professional assistance and, in some cases,
funding.
Examples
• 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.
– Branches
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NRCS (1935) – Natural Resource Conservation Service
APHIS (1972) – Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service
NASS (1863) – National Agricultural Statistics Service
USFS (1905) – United States Forest Service
– Sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and
grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
Examples…
• NCCES (1914) – North Carolina
Cooperative Extension Service
– Help individuals, families, and communities
put research based knowledge to work for
economic prosperity, environmental
stewardship and an improved quality of life.
– NCDA&CS – North Carolina Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services. Promote
and improve agriculture.
Origins of Major Food Crops –
Fruits/Vegetables
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Peaches – China
Tomato – South America
Peanut – Peru, South America
Sweet potato – Central America
Grain, Oil, and Fiber Crops
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Corn – Cuba, Mexico
Soybeans – Southeast Asia
Cotton – Mexico, Africa, Pakistan
Wheat – Southwest Asia
US Agricultural Production
• Regions develop based on a variety of factors
including soils, weather, market development,
feed availability, etc.
High Ranking Regions
• Citrus Fruit – Florida, Texas, and California
• Corn Belt – Midwestern states
• Wheat
– Hard Red Spring Wheat – highest protein content,
excellent bread wheat, superior milling and baking
characteristics
• MN, ND, SD, MT, ID, OR, WA, CA
– Soft Red Winter Wheat – High yielding, low protein,
used for cakes, biscuits, pastries
• NC, TN, KY, GA, OH, IN, IL, MO
Production Regions…
• Spearmint – WA, OR, ID
• Floriculture Crops – CA, FL, MI, TX, NC
• Beef Cattle – TX, KS, NE, IA, CO, OK, MO,
SD
• Dairy – MN, WI, MI, OH, PA, NY, VT, NH,
MA, ME (CA, ID, TX)
• Hogs – NC, IA, IL, IN, MN
• Poultry (broilers) – NC, GA, AL, AR, MS, TX
NC Agriculture
• Mountains
• Piedmont
• Coastal Plains
NC Ag Production by Region
• Mountain counties
– Christmas Trees, Apples, Trout
• Piedmont counties
– Greenhouse and nursery crops, broilers,
turkeys, dairy
• Eastern counties
– Hogs, turkeys, broilers, tobacco (flue-cured),
sweet potatoes, vegetables, peanuts, cotton,
corn, soybeans.
Farm Cash Receipts (2011)
• $10,000,000,000 ($10B) annually
• Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry - 2/3 of all FCR
– Broilers and hogs account for nearly ½ of this
amount
• Crops – 1/3 of all FCR