Environment and Ecology for Pennsylvania Agriculture and Society

Environment and Ecology for Pennsylvania

Agriculture and Society

Introduction

• Advances in agriculture means more food is being grown on less land to meet the needs of a growing population – 280 million in the U.S.– Took only about 200 years– In 1790, 95% of people in the U.S. were farmers, in

2000 only 2% (yet more is produced)– U.S. produces 25% of the world’s beef and 15 % of

world’s grain, milk, and eggs

PA Farms

• 59,000 farms in PA• 9 million acres of farmland under cultivation• PA ranks 18th of the 50 states in annual income

produced by farms• Among the nation’s leaders in milk and egg

production• Ranks first in the production of mushrooms• Other important crops include apples, peaches,

flowers, and houseplants

Essential Questions

• 1. Describe how changes in farming over the last 200 years have affected food production, land use, and population.

4.1 Food Production

• Over the last 200 years, small farms (sell less than $250,000 in crops and livestock each year) have declined but still outnumber large, corporate farms

• Large farms produce the bulk of the food using the latest in modern technology and are able to purchase large amounts of land

• Since 1925, the number of farms in the U.S. has decreased from about 6.5 million to just over 2 million while the average size has increased from about 143 acres to about 434 acres

Agricultural SurveySelect the 5 most important things you think agriculture provides you.

air qualitybeautiful scenery

corncotton

farmer’s marketsfish

flowersfootballs

fruitsglue

golf coursesgreenhouses

hay

hides/leatherjobs

landscapingmeat

medicinesmilkpizza

sugarcanevegetables

water qualitywheatwoodwool

Ag Facts

1. Agriculture is the nation’s largest industry and largest employer, generating billions of dollars each year.2. American farmers produce 16% of the world’s food on just 7% of the world’s land.

3. The US exported $53 billion and imported $39 billion in ag products in 2001.

4. Demand for denim jeans has helped cotton achieve 65% share in total apparel market.

5. One out every five jobs depends on agriculture in some way.

6. By 2000, farmers had placed 32.7 million acres of their land in reserve to protect the environment and provide habitat for wildlife.7. One acre of trees can absorb about 13 tons of dust and gases every year from the air through photosynthesis, making our air cleaner to breathe.

Green Revolution

• Modern farming method which was the key to increased productivity of farms in industrialized countries of North America and Europe.– Uses scientifically produced varieties of grain, plus

fertilizers, pesticides, and water to increase crop yields

– More yield not by planting more acres, but by producing more on each acre

– Developed nations then produce enough food to feed themselves and export to other nations

Green Revolution

• Tools:• Sophisticated irrigation systems• Modern laborsaving machinery (to prepare, plant and

tend crops)• Latest technology for raising livestock (indoor facilities,

machines to feed and water animals)

Green Revolution

• Affect on the population?– Cheaper food means that more people can eat

better while spending a smaller percentage of their income on food

– That additional income can be used on items that will raise their standard of living

– Additional items provide jobs for others

Green Revolution• Negative effects?– Concentrating animal

production creates issues with handling manure, controlling flies, and suppressing odors

– Over reliance on fertilizers and pesticides can cause pollution, disruptions of ecological balance, and pest resistance

From Farm to Market

From Farm to Market

• Early farming was done by hand locally• Next came the use of animals (oxen and horses)

to pull farm implements• Today modern agriculture allows a small

percentage of people to farm to provide food and fiber for the rest of us

• In some cases you buy food from a roadside stand but most in most cases it goes through a long complicated process

From Farm to Market

• Fruits, vegetables and livestock sold to food processors (huge companies)

• Food processors turn the raw materials into frozen dinners, canned goods, powdered drinks, ice cream, pizza, and potato chips

• Then foods are packaged and shipped to wholesalers who then sell to supermarkets, restaurants, and school cafeterias

Food Production inDeveloping Countries

• Varies from place to place– Some have large, modern farms with green

technologies– Others who cannot afford this still practice

subsistence farming or farming just to meet survival needs

– Many countries cannot feed their people and must import foods

Food Production inDeveloping Countries• Subsistence Farming– No high yield seed– No expensive fertilizers or pesticides– No modern machinery– Lower crop yields– Uses human labor and draft animals– Practice shift cultivation (plant, depleted soil, move)– Practice slash-and-burn (cut trees, burn vegetation to

release nutrients in the ash)– Soil depletion occurs and bare soil erodes

Agricultural Timeline

4.1 Questions

1. How has the U.S. farm population changed over the past 200 years?

It has greatly declined from 95 percent in 1790 to about 2 percent in 2000.

2. Identify three characteristics that make the U.S. food and fiber system successful.

The United States has fertile soil, a favorable climate, and access to the most advanced farm technology.

3. List three of Pennsylvania’s major agricultural products.Students can list any three of the following: dairy products, cattle,

poultry, mushrooms, apples, peaches, cut flowers, and houseplants.

4.1 Questions

4. Discuss the state of the family farm in the United States today. The family farm is disappearing as an increasing number of family

farmers find it difficult to compete with corporate farms and expensive technology and are forced to sell their land.

5. Define the green revolution. The green revolution is the modern farming method that has

increased crop yields by using scientifically produced varieties of grains that require large inputs of fertilizers, pesticides, and water.

6. How has the green revolution benefited farmers in developed countries?

The green revolution has allowed farmers to grow more food on each acre of land.

4.1 Questions7. How does the availability of large quantities of cheap

food in developed countries affect the standard of living of the people there?

Because food is relatively cheap, people spend a smaller percentage of their income on food. Their standard of living rises because income is available to purchase other goods and services.

8. List three drawbacks of modern commercial farming. Students can list any three of the following: costly for

farmers, possible soil erosion, possible nutrient depletion in soils, and potential water or soil pollution from chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

4.1 Questions9. Draw conclusions about why shifting cultivation and

slash-and-burn agriculture are not good long-term agricultural systems.

They are practiced primarily in tropical areas, where soils are fairly poor. After tropical forest vegetation has been removed to plant crops, the soil can support crops for only a few years before it becomes depleted and the farmer must clear another field. In the long term, if practiced by a large number of people, this method of farming can destroy forests and soils over a large area.

4.1 Questions10. Place the following events in the history of agriculture in

proper sequence: the Agricultural Revolution occurs in England; the horse-drawn plow is first used; people domesticate animals; Native Americans show Europeans how to grow corn and tomatoes; farmers use oxen-pulled plows.

People domesticate animals; farmers use oxen-pulled plows; the horse-drawn plow is first used; Native Americans show Europeans how to grow corn and tomatoes; the Agricultural Revolution occurs in England.

Essential Questions


• 2. How does the agricultural system provide society with food and fiber products?

4.2 Food and Fiber System

The Farm to Market Process:1. Production – first stage where farmers produce fruits, vegetables, grains, livestock, or clothing fiber.2. Food Processing – transforms raw foodstuffs from farm into food you consume. Processing can include washing, sorting, drying, canning, freezing, pickling, shredding, or juicing.


Sugarcane – granulated sugarPeanuts and Soybeans – cooking oilBerries – jam

Raw ingredients can also be combined to make cake mixes, pretzels, frozen dinners, and ice cream.

Additives such as colors, texturizers, preservatives, flavorings, and nutrients mixed in to improve food quality.

Homogenization ensure milk stays blended in the container.


The Farm to Market Process:3. Packaging – to protect foods from spoiling, spilling, and breaking. Attractive labels help customers identify brands and entice consumers.

4. Transportation and distribution – airplanes, trucks, and trains (some refrigerated) move goods from farm to processing plants to warehouses and markets. These wholesalers sell smaller quantities to a retailer., restaurants, bakeshops, and school cafeterias.


The Farm to Market Process:5. Marketing – advertising, buying, and selling of products purchased from retailers such as supermarkets, small grocery stores, delicatessens, greengrocers, butcher shops, and vending machines.

6. Regulations – agriculture regulated by U.S. Government in the areas of workplace and food safety, inspection, and grading. The USDA inspects meat and foods, grades eggs, milk, meat, and grains to ensure they meet standards. They also regulate truthfulness of labels. Imported products are checked as well.


The Farm to Market Process:7. Research and Development – ongoing process by universities, government agencies, and private companies to create new crop and livestock varieties, new food and fiber products, and additional methods for producing, processing, and storing foods.

Major Ag Areas of the U.S.• Physical geography (climate, soil, and landforms) determine

the types of crops farmers in different areas can grow. » Northeast – ample rainfall and moderate climate

• Fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, fishing» Lake States – cold winters and poor soils as well as fertile

areas• Dairy farms, Christmas trees, fruit, vegetables, eggs,

hogs, and grains» The Appalachian States – productive farmland and rocky

soils• Peanuts, cattle, hogs, tobacco, dairy

» The Southeast – plentiful rainfall, mild summers, cool winters• Cattle, chickens, hogs, dairy, orchards, tobacco,

sugarcane, fruits, vegetables, peanuts, cotton, wood

» The Delta States – fertile farmland, plentiful rainfall, mild climate• chickens, rice, corn, sugarcane, livestock, fishing

» The Corn Belt – fertile land and favorable climate• corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle, dairy

» The Northern and Southern Plains – grasslands, rainfall decreases east to west• Grasses and grains, cattle, cotton

» The Mountain States – cool and wet• Cattle, sheep, wheat, fruits and vegetables

» The Pacific Region – dry (irrigation projects)• Wheat, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, dairy,

pineapples, sugarcane, grapes

Major Ag Areas of the U.S.

4.2 Questions1. Sequence the following components of the farm-to-market process: distribution;

production; processing; packaging.

Production, processing, packaging, distribution.

2. List three aspects of the food and fiber system that our government regulates.

List any three of the following: safety of food through inspection; safety of food through regulations governing production and processing; grading of food to meet certain standards; safety of workers in factories and fields; truthfulness of food labels; safety and honesty of packaging; and safety of food imported into the United States through inspection for diseases, parasites, or items that don’t meet U.S. standard.

3. Identify the agricultural region in which Pennsylvania is located.

The Northeast

4.2 Questions4. List three factors that help determine the crops that will grow in a region.

Climate, Soils, Landforms

5. In which region is irrigation used to grow an abundance of crops? Draw conclusion about why this could become an environmental problem.

Irrigation is used to grow an abundance of crops in dry areas of several states in the Pacific region. Students should conclude that relying on importing large quantities of water to dry areas to grow crops is costly and might not be sustainable over a long period of time. As the need for irrigation water grows with the expansion of agriculture, water shortages could occur. Discuss with students the fact that growing crops that need lots of water in places where there is plentiful rainfall is a more environmentally sound policy in the long run.

Essential Questions



• 3. Why are conservation practices important to consider with the variety of farming methods used in food production?

4.3 Farming Methods

Farming depends on SOILSoil – the upper layer of land surface that all growing things use for physical support, water, and nutrients.

How is soil formed? WEATHERINGWeathering – slow wearing away of rock by wind, water, and temperature fluctuations.

4.3 Farming Methods

Soil is a renewable resource (forming all the time) but it is a very slow process.

1 inch of soil takes200 – 1000 years toform!

(Depends on climate and parent rock)

4.3 Farming Methods

What is healthy soil?Teaming with life! Fungi, bacteria, plants, insects, and vertebrates.

Crops benefit from healthy soil

4.3 Farming Methods

Soil Erosion- major problem in agriculture- loss of soil = loss of crop income

- soil loss can happen naturally through wind and running water

4.3 Farming Methods

BUT…Actions of people can increase the problem

LoggingLivestock grazing

Farming

How? By removing vegetation that holds soil in place

4.3 Farming Methods

Farmers have developed several conservation methods for this important agricultural resource.

1. Preparing the Land2. Planting the Land3. Enriching the Soil

4.3 Farming Methods

1. Preparing the LandTraditional Method Conservation Practice

Plows or tillage break up soil for planting but exposed soil can erode

No till loosens soil by drilling holes for planting seeds without turning over soil

(pesticide use to kill remaining weeds a drawback)

ORLeftover stubble from the

previous crop left between seeded rows (decayed stubble provide soil with nutrients or

humus)

4.3 Farming Methods2. Planting the Land – particularly under less than ideal

conditions like sloping land stripped by precipitation.

Method How Advantages

Contour Farming Plow field and plant crop across the slope

Prevents water from running downhill and taking valuable soil

with it (30 – 50%)

Strip CroppingPlanting wide rows or

strips of one crop (corn) alternately with a grass or

legume

Grass or legume grows low with fibrous roots which protects soil Legumes also provide nitrogen to soil. Alternating rows prevent

spread of disease.

Terracing Series of broad, flat ridges that run down a hill like

stairs

Used on steeper hills, ridges help retain water and provides

level cropland

4.3 Farming Methods3. Soil Enrichment – maintaining and restoring

nutrients to the soil is an important part of soil conservation.

* Restore nutrients – fertilizers and crop rotation

* Remove nutrients – years of farming

4.3 Farming Methods

Crop Rotation

Changing crops planted in a field from year to year

Ex. Corn, then wheat, then clover

Each crop removes and replaces different soil nutrients

4.3 Farming Methods3. Soil Enrichment

Types of Fertilizers:

1. Natural Organic – animal manure, green manure, compost (match terms below)

• Partially decomposed organic plant and animal matter• Growing or freshly cut plants plowed under• Waste products from digestion

2. Artificial Chemical

Contain essential

nutrients like

nitrogen,

phosphorus, and

potassium

4.3 Farming Methods3. Soil Enrichment

What DO fertilizers do?

1. Increase crop yields2. Supply 2 – 3 nutrients for plants

What DON’T fertilizers do?

1. Lack most of the 20 nutrients plants require2. Do not add humus to the soil3. Stay put on fields – often run off into streams or pollute underground drinking water sources

4.3 Farming Methods

Farms and Human Nutrition- Modern methods of food preservation and quick transportation allow people all over the world to enjoy foods grown thousands of miles away at any time of the year – even out of season.

Boston buys grapes from ChileItalians buy apples from Washington

Japan buys beef from Texas

4.3 Farming Methods

Farms and Human Nutrition- The amount and variety of foods have been increased by:

1. high yield varieties of seed2. chemical fertilizers3. modern pest-management

techniques4. labor saving machinery

Some developing

countries have

adopted modern

farming methods

staving off

famines

4.3 Farming Methods

Farms and Human Nutrition

Environmental Concerns:1. Farmland can destroy natural ecosystems (swamps and forests

cleared)2. Pesticides and fertilizers can pollute water3. Soil erosion and nutrient depletion4. Modern farming is energy intensive (fuels

to run equipment)

4.3 Farming MethodsFarms and Human Nutrition

As the World’s population continues to increase, the challenge of growing food for everyone on the same amount of farmland

will increase.

4.3 Farming MethodsFood Safety

Source of contamination…- bacteria (salmonella)- viruses- chemicals

Results…- diarrhea- vomiting- serious illness- death

4.3 Farming Methods

Food Safety

How does contamination occur?- during processing- improper storage- improper handling Poultry contains a

number of

potentially

harmful bacteria

4.3 Farming Methods

Food Safety

How does the U.S. protect us?Government Regulations

- USDA- FDA- EPA

Inspects meat,

dairy, and plants

from disease and

pestsFood labels, drugs, cosmetics, public eating places

pesticides

4.3 Questions1. If soil is a renewable resource, why must people conserve it?

Although soil is being formed all the time, it forms so slowly that it must be carefully conserved or nothing will grow and that land will become useless.

2. Define no-till cultivation. Describe why it is used.

No-till cultivation is a process in which holes are drilled in topsoil to plant seeds without breaking up or turning over the topsoil. No-till cultivation helps prevent erosion.

3. Compare and contrast contour farming, strip cropping, and terracing.

Each method of planting helps decrease erosion on sloping land. In contour farming, farmers plow fields and plant crops across the slope of the land to prevent soil loss resulting from runoff. In strip cropping, strips of low cover crops with fibrous roots that hold soil in place are planted between other crops. In terracing, farmers build broad, flat ridges that run down a hillside like stair to provide level cropland and retain water.

4.3 Questions4. List two positive and two negative aspects of using artificial chemical

fertilizers.

Positive aspects: add needed nutrients to soil; increase crop yields; negative aspects (any two of these): do not supply all nutrients plants need; do not add humus to soil; can pollute the natural environment.

5. How does crop rotation enrich soil?

Crop rotation enriches soil by alternating the crops planted on a field. The plantings are planned so that during one year, a crop that removes certain nutrients from soil is planted and during the next year, a crop that replaces some of those nutrients and uses others is planted on the same soil.

6. Explain why the world’s rising population presents a problem for agriculture.

The increase in population will result in a growing need for food. Because the amount of land under cultivation cannot greatly increase, scientists must continue to find ways to make the same land produce more and more. This will become increasingly difficult to do.

4.3 Questions7. List the three U.S. government agencies that regulate food safety.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

8. Summarize the duties of the USDA in the area of food safety. Summarize the duties of the FDA. USDA: inspects meat; grades meat and dairy products to indicate quality; enforces regulations

that protect plants and animals from pests and disease; conducts research on increasing crop production, combating pests, fostering soil conservation, and educating the public about nutrition. FDA: ensures truthfulness in food labels; ensures safe packaging; concerned with maintenance of sanitary conditions in public eating places; administers programs that help ensure safety of dairy products and shellfish.

9. In your opinion, why do food poisonings still occur, even though there are many food safety regulations?

Could include the fact that mistakes and carelessness occur and that individuals, food processing companies, and restaurants sometimes do not handle, store, or prepare foods in the safest manner.

Essential Questions



• 3. Why are conservation practices important to consider with the variety of farming methods used in food production?

• 4. Explain what and how major advances in technology have improved farm production?

4.4 Agriculture and Technology

Story of agriculture:- new inventions- advances in science- more food grown- human muscle to computers, satellite, technology, and genetically modified plants and livestock- fertile soil and clean water become

harder to maintain


Advances:- In 1820, farmers needed 250 – 300 labor hours to produce 100 bushels of wheat on about 5 acres.

- By 1987, just under 3 hours needed to produce the same amount of wheat on the same amount of land.

4.4 Agriculture and TechnologyScientific Advances:

Cotton Gin – 1793; Eli Whitney; separated seeds, hulls, and other unwanted parts from cotton fiber; increased production


Scientific Advances:Cast Iron Plow – 1797; replaced the wooden plow allowing farmers to till the soil better and faster


Scientific Advances:Reaper – 1831; Cyrus McCormick’ horse drawn wheat harvesting machine, cut time and labor


Scientific Advances:Steel Plow – 1837; John Deere and Leonard Andrus; easily till the thick, sod-covered soil of Midwest


Scientific Advances:Chemical Fertilizers – 1849; put on market and allowed farmers to enrich depleted soils and increase crop production


Transcontinental Railroad – 1869; first rail line across the U.S.; four more by the end of 1800’s; opened up new areas for agricultural production and trade


Barbed Wire – 1874; ability tofence off fields

Pasteurization – mid-1880’s; Louis Pasteur; heating foods like milk and wine could preserve them longer by killing bacteria


Scientific Advances:Tractor – 1926; first successful light tractor to work land faster and increase farm production


Biotechnology:- management or manipulation of living organisms for the benefit of people

• Most well-known…genetic engineering which allows scientists to alter physical characteristics of plants and animals by transferring genes.


Gene – part of the cell that determines the characteristics that living things inherit from their parents (color of flower, shape of leaf, texture of hair)

Scientists now identify genes for desirable traits in plants and animals used for food and transplant them into other foods

* carrots higher in vitamin A* plants with pest and drought resistance* growth in poorer soils* increase offspring and higher milk production in cows

Controversial due to unknown long-term effects on environment and human health

4.4 Questions1. Describe the importance of the cotton gin, the steel plow, and pasteurization in the

advancement of agriculture. Cotton gin: gave farmers a way to mechanically separate cotton seeds and hulls from cotton

fiber, encouraging the growth of cotton production; steel plow: made it possibly for the first time to easily till the thick, sod-covered soils of the Midwest; pasteurization: made milk and other dairy products safer by killing bacteria and other harmful microbes.

2. Do you think California would have developed as the nation’s leading agricultural state without the transcontinental railroad? Explain your answer.

Students should include that it would not have. Because California is on the West Coast, far from the centers of population in the eastern United States, a transcontinental transportation system was needed to make it practical to bring produce from California to the rest of the country.

3. Define genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is a type of biotechnology in which scientists alter the physical

characteristics of plants or animals by manipulation their genes.

4.4 Questions4. Summarize the way the manipulation of genes can improve

crop plants.

Scientists can take the gene that controls a desirable characteristic in one plant or animal and transfer it to another plant or animal that does not naturally have that characteristic.

5. Is it necessary for the government to regulate biotechnology? Explain your answer.

Thoughts?

Documents

Environment and Ecology for Pennsylvania Agriculture and Society