FOOD FROM THE LAND

FARMING

Industrial Farming • To produce a large amount of food at the lowest cost.

Organic farming • Farming in a way that is environmentally friendly.

Sustainable farming • Meeting the needs of the present without negatively

affecting the needs of the future.

The History of Farming

Technological breakthroughs

Improved Plows• First farmers planted seeds using a stick to dig

holes.

• Scratch plow was invented – allowed a domestic animal to pull a sharp stick through the ground creating a gap to plant seeds.

• Plows that included an iron knife-like blade that could cut through roots.

• New specialized plows help farmers reduce soil erosion and protect soil moisture.

More effective use of animals• Plows were enhanced by the development

of the horse collar, which allowed a horse to pull harder without choking itself.

• Harnesses were invented to allow more than one animal to be attached to a single plow.

• The horseshoe was invented to give the horse better traction.

• The land measure “acre” or the amount of land inside a 400m track was invented to signify the amount of land that a person could plow with horses in a single day.

Industrialization of Farming

• Steam powered tractors and threshing machines.

• Modern machinery dramatically increased productivity of agricultural workers.

• Farms became larger and produced more from each hectare of land.

Increased corporate ownership of farms

• Many farms are now owned by corporations.

Development of GMOs

• Organisms whose genetic structure has been changed to give them characteristics that are seen as desirable.

Farming as a Business

Input Costs • Price of operating the farm.

Output Costs • Price of selling the food product.

Profit • Input costs need to be lower than output costs

for farmers to make a profit.

How to grow a crop – Conventional Farming

1. Purchase seed 2. Prepare the seed bed (tillage)3. Plants the seed4. Harrow5. Fertilizer is added to help the crop grow6. Spray weeds and pests7. Irrigation8. Harvest (Swath and combine)9. Storage on the farm (Grainery Bin)10.Transporting the grain to the elevator

Purchase seed • Farmers usually buy their seeds from seed growers.• Farmers who reproduce seeds using existing seeds.

Prepare the seed bed (tillage)• This is done by cultivating the soil (loosens the soil)

and is also known as tillage.

Plant the seed• Air seeders, seed drills, or planters.• Most commonly air seeders are used. Uses air to

push the seed into the ground.

Harrow • Packing the soil down.

Can now do all three steps in one• The crop can be cultivated, seeded, and harrowed all at

the same time.

Fertilizer is added to help the crop grow

• Fertilizer can be solid, liquid, or gas.• Nitrogen gas is added to the soil the same way seeds are.• Liquid and solid fertilizers are spread on top and then

cultivated into the soil.

Spray weeds and pests• Spray to kill unwanted plants.• Eliminate competition.

Irrigation• To add moisture during dry conditions.

Harvest (Swath and combine)• Swather cuts the crop into rows.• The combine picks up the crop and separates

the grain from the stalk.

Storage on the farm (Grainery Bin)

• Grain is put into a grainery using an auger.• Farmers store the grain until the elevator is

ready to buy it from them.

Transporting the grain to the elevator

• Major corporation companies such as Cargill purchase the grain.

The business of farming

• Mechanization has increased the size of farms and declined the number of farms.

• Long, irregular hours and low incomes have driven people away from farming.

• Start up costs for farming are high.

• Annual costs for veterinary care, pesticides, equipment purchases, vehicle repairs, and seeds make farming a high-debt business.

• Farmers must borrow money from banks until

their crops or animals are sold.

• If the prices for their farm products do not increase faster than their costs of production, debt or bankruptcy may result.

Large agribusiness companies

Cooperatives • Several farmers work together and form a

cooperative.

• Equipment is purchased by the cooperative and used on a number of farms.

• Reduces the costs of operation for each member.

Multinational Corporations • Hire farmers to work for them.

• Can either own their own land and raise livestock or grow crops that belong to the company.

• Or, farmers may live in towns, and go to work on land owned by the company.

Vertical Integration • A company owns and operates every process

required to produce its product.

• Companies make more profit by controlling each stage of the operation.

Damaging the Land

Erosion

• The most important agricultural resource is soil.

• Conventional farming practices leave the soil vulnerable to erosion.

• We are always digging up the field, before seeding, after harvesting.

Erosion

Summer Fallowing • Crops are planted one year, and left bare the second

year.

• Originally, was supposed to help the soil store scarce water, control weeds, and restore soil fertility.

• Recent studies show this caused soil erosion, reduction in fertility, and buildup of harmful salts.

Erosion

No-till Cropping • Stubble is left after harvesting a crop to hold the soil

in place and protect it from wind erosion. • Stubble traps snow and helps build up moisture. • This moisture reduces the buildup of salts. • It is also cost effective because plowing is not

required. • In the spring, seed is planted in the unplowed

ground.

Erosion

Contour Plowing • Can prevent water erosion across hilly plains.

• Plowing is done across the hill rather than up and down it.

Contamination

• Farmers use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides to increase their yields, and therefore their profits.

Chemicals • Can run-off into lakes, causing excessive growth of

algae.

• This removes oxygen from the water, and affects the health of fish.

Herbicides • Used to kill weeds to eliminate competition.

• They can be harmful to wildlife and in high concentrations to humans.

Pesticides • Kills insects that are harmful to crops.

• Pesticides also kill useful insects which can upset the balance of an ecosystem.

• Sometimes insects develop a resistance to chemicals, and are harder to kill.

Irrigation

Leaching • Occurs when soil loses its nutrients through

excessive irrigation.

The Vocabulary of Hunger

Famine • a temporary situation in which a country or

region does not have enough available food to feed its population.

Starvation • an extreme form of hunger in which people

suffer from a serious, or total lack of energy and essential vitamins and minerals.

Malnutrition • A condition in which health is damaged by an

unbalanced diet.

Under nutrition • A diet that lacks one or more vital nutrients in

the quantity that is needed for the body to develop and function properly (form of malnutrition).