EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
The main purpose of this kind of system of farming is to produce output
from the farm is sold to both in the domestic and the export market, making
large profits. This type of farming is generally found in the temperate
regions of North America, Western Europe, Australia and South Africa.
Key facts:
Type:
World Locations:
Climate:
Landscape:
Outputs/Crops:
Population:
Labour:
Technology:
Case Study:
Extensive Commercial
North America. Western Europe, Australia and South
Africa
Summers – warm; precipitation levels are high enough
without being too high, occurs mainly during growing
season. Soils broken up by frost in winter. Occasionally,
some areas such as the Prairies suffer from drought and
tornadoes
Land is generally flat and low. Large expanses. Fertile
soils ideal for growing crops.
Wheat, sugar-beet, barley, vegetables and fodder crops
grown for cattle
Low
Low due to system being highly mechanised
High, much modern machinery such as combine
harvesters, ploughs, planes for spraying insecticides
Prairies, North America
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
You should be able to describe the system of Extensive Commercial Farming,
describe its landscape and explain recent changes to the system and their
effects.
Task: Complete the Input, Processes and Outputs boxes
INPUTS
Physical
Human
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
PROCESSES
OUTPUTS
Task: Reading from Core Geography, fill in the blanks using the following
words.
Disease – cheap - human – extensive – climate – temperate – USA – low – single –
large – monoculture – marginal – technologies – risks – market – European – South
Africa – emigration – hemispheres - density
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
Extensive farming (livestock ranching and extensive grain production) spread
into the
lands of the northern and southern
hemispheres with the
of
settlers,
notably in the following countries: the
, Argentina, Uruguay,
and New Zeeland.
farming can be defined as a system of farming that is
operated on very
holdings, with a very high reliance on
, and where relatively
yields are compensated
for by the very large areas under cultivation. Very large areas of land
are required for effective operation of large farm machines, such as
combine harvesters and tractors. One consequence of field
enlargement is the destruction of hedges and trees from large areas
of countryside.
The
input is minimal, although decisions taken by the farmer,
or the corporation, are of great importance. Extensive farming is often
found in areas where the land is relatively cheap, population density is low,
and the climate is more
.
Farmers grow a
crop over the large areas to give increased
efficiency and quality control. This farming method is called
. The farmer can economically benefit by efficiently
producing one crop. One disadvantage however, is that the farmer cannot
spread his or her risks with regard to
and
conditions, and the crop becomes more susceptible to
as
those organisms that attack it build up the soil year after year.
So who farms like this? How many do it? Where do they live? What’s the
settlement like? Is it changing?
You should be able to describe the changes to Extensive Farming and
comment on the benefits and problems caused by these changes.
Using the new Core Higher Geography (McLean & Thomson), answer the
following questions starting from Pg.233 - A brief History
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
1). The human landscape and land have changed dramatically in the last
150 years. What three types of settlers has the landscape witnessed?
So what happened was a pacification of the Native Indians westward,
extending the railways and then so began the large-scale settlement of the
Great Plains.
2). Describe the main types of farming on the Great Plains with specification
to each state.
3). Where and what is ‘The Dust Bowl’?
So, there are immigrants coming in from Europe and other states to settle in
the Great Plains. On obtaining the land from the native Indians, they used it
for cattle ranches.
4). Explain what they then thought in the later 19th century? What was the
incentive given to the people? What did the land look like at this time?
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
5). Using the Core themes Human book, Pg.50, copy and complete the
following diagram for livestock ranching.
So moving into the 20th century, many of the first quarter-section
homesteads (township, area of 145 football fields with approximately 100
farms) did not survive because of recurring, prolonged droughts.
This is a 1985 aerial photograph of
the farm. This farm is 20 miles
southwest of WaKeeney Kansas, in
southwest Trego County: The view is
in a northwesterly direction and
about 9 miles from Castle Rock, a
landmark for early travelers and
settlers in the area:
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
5) Some farmers survived. Describe the many different ways in which they
did this?
A major problem occurred in the Plains around the 1920’s and 1930’s. This
was to be accelerated erosion of soil and wind, which accumulated in the
Dust Bowl. Rural depopulation then increased as a result, and farms became
bigger, more extensive. 6) Then what happened?
In the later 20th century, the rate of rural depopulation continued to
increase, farms became extremely large.
 Greater dependence on agricultural technologies
 New strains of wheat developed (disease resistant & faster growing).
 Amalgamation of farms into larger more economic units
 Large surpluses of cereals, farmers had to cut back
 Irrigated farming
 Rapid depletion of Ogallala aquifer
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
7). They also coped with drought, how?
8). Elaborate on the term Strip Cultivation?
Diversification of crops
Extensive Farming in North Dakota and Montana today
As the smaller family farms are sold off, larger farming businesses continue
to expand and prosper, but the farming landscape as a whole is changing.
9). Make a short list, in note form of what changes have occurred.
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
Abandoned homesteads and schools are slowly thinning the
population of North Dakota due to being taken over by
large agribusinesses. This is very typical of extensive
farming on the Great Plains. So a review of problems
brought about by these changes.





Smaller farmers finding it difficult to compete with
the production in terms of capital and output of the
agribusinesses
Small farmers selling their land
Loss of jobs due to mechanisation
Young families move out due to lack of jobs, schools, services
(population becomes an ageing one)
Increased chemicals, fertilisers and pesticides have often a
detrimental effect on the environment
The migrants are now attracted to more metropolitan areas. 10). In list
form, where do these areas tend to be located?
Pictures of Des Moines, metropolitan area in Iowa
EXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMING
You should be able to describe and explain the settlement patterns, which
have resulted from this type of farming