Agriculture Notes
Types of farming:
Livestock and Poultry: Meat, diary, and eggs. Utilizes Rangeland
Agriculture: growing one crop ( monoculture) or many crops (polyculture)
Aquaculture: raising aquatic organisms for food
Why do people go hungry?
- crop failure due to drought, soil deterioration, disease
- population size > crop yield
What happens when food is overabundant?
- overnutrition- food energy intake exceeds energy use and causes excess body fat
- similar health problems to those who are underfed
- lower life expectancy
- greater susceptibility to disease and illness
- lower productivity and life quality
How have we farmed in the past?
The first agricultural revolution began as early as 9000 BC
Nomads to Settlements
Cross pollination first began
Grew enough to support family and trade
How did the GREEN REVOLUTION change farming
Goals: stop hunger, increase crop yield, minimize crop losses and failure
Methods: new, high-yield grain varieties, pesticides, fertilizers, better management practices, more technologically advanced machinery
Vision:n Treat agriculture as a business (agribusiness). Plant a large amount of a single species (monocropping)
Drawbacks: Too expensive, air, soil, and water pollution due to toxic chemicals. Countries that are too poor couldn't afford this, so their hunger wasn't "cured"
Practices of Conventional Farming ( Since Green Revolution)
Maximize output
Minimize space taken
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Genetically Modified Fruits
Heavy equipment
Chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers)
Sustainable Farming Practices
Sustainable Output
Takes more space
Pasture/ Rangeland Feeling
Incorporates more human and animal labor
Minimize Chemical Usage
Polyculture
Benefits
Conventional: lower food costs, fast production times, meets increased demand
Sustainable: healthier for humans and organisms alike, higher quality of foods, conserves energy and water
, lower environmental impact
Risks
Conventional: Habitat degradation, soil, water, air pollution, erosion, energy and water loss, contamination of human foods, pesticide resistance
Sustainable: Higher food costs, low yield, decreased availability, more susceptible to storms and other outside factors
Livestock and Poultry: Meat, diary, and eggs. Utilizes Rangeland
Agriculture: growing one crop ( monoculture) or many crops (polyculture)
Aquaculture: raising aquatic organisms for food
Why do people go hungry?
- crop failure due to drought, soil deterioration, disease
- population size > crop yield
What happens when food is overabundant?
- overnutrition- food energy intake exceeds energy use and causes excess body fat
- similar health problems to those who are underfed
- lower life expectancy
- greater susceptibility to disease and illness
- lower productivity and life quality
How have we farmed in the past?
The first agricultural revolution began as early as 9000 BC
Nomads to Settlements
Cross pollination first began
Grew enough to support family and trade
How did the GREEN REVOLUTION change farming
Goals: stop hunger, increase crop yield, minimize crop losses and failure
Methods: new, high-yield grain varieties, pesticides, fertilizers, better management practices, more technologically advanced machinery
Vision:n Treat agriculture as a business (agribusiness). Plant a large amount of a single species (monocropping)
Drawbacks: Too expensive, air, soil, and water pollution due to toxic chemicals. Countries that are too poor couldn't afford this, so their hunger wasn't "cured"
Practices of Conventional Farming ( Since Green Revolution)
Maximize output
Minimize space taken
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
Genetically Modified Fruits
Heavy equipment
Chemicals (pesticides and fertilizers)
Sustainable Farming Practices
Sustainable Output
Takes more space
Pasture/ Rangeland Feeling
Incorporates more human and animal labor
Minimize Chemical Usage
Polyculture
Benefits
Conventional: lower food costs, fast production times, meets increased demand
Sustainable: healthier for humans and organisms alike, higher quality of foods, conserves energy and water
, lower environmental impact
Risks
Conventional: Habitat degradation, soil, water, air pollution, erosion, energy and water loss, contamination of human foods, pesticide resistance
Sustainable: Higher food costs, low yield, decreased availability, more susceptible to storms and other outside factors
The Meatrix
The Meatrix I
1. What is “The Meatrix”? It is where most food and animal products come from
2. What is a factory farm? Where most eggs and meat comes from, very dirty and gross, animals are pushed together to minimize space.
3. What happens to the animals on a factory farm? Animals often can’t see light, move, and often die due to spread of disease.
4. Why are the animals given antibiotics? What is the problem with this? To keep them alive , but it also keeps the germs alive
5. What is happening to family farms? Often disappear because of big business
The Meatrix II: Revolting
1. What has happened in regards to sustainable eating in the past few years? More people are buying better products
2. What happens to cows in dairy factories? Tails are cut off, they are diseased, and spend most of their days between cages and milking
3. What is rBGH? Why is it given to cows? Artifical growth hormone to make the cow grow bigger
4. What happens to the calves? They are separated from their mothers and keep fake milk made in part by cow’s blood
5. What can be caused by this? Mad cow disease
The Meatrix II 1/2
1. At this factory, how many cows can be processed in single day? 5000
2. What often happens to the workers in the processing factories? Factory worker are often injured
3. Profit is the “name of the game”.
4. As a job, meat-packing is one of the most dangerous in the nation.
5. Due to the speed of the processing, what gets all over the meat? What bacteria does this substance contain? What problems can this cause? Manure, E. Coli, sickness and possibly death.
1. What is “The Meatrix”? It is where most food and animal products come from
2. What is a factory farm? Where most eggs and meat comes from, very dirty and gross, animals are pushed together to minimize space.
3. What happens to the animals on a factory farm? Animals often can’t see light, move, and often die due to spread of disease.
4. Why are the animals given antibiotics? What is the problem with this? To keep them alive , but it also keeps the germs alive
5. What is happening to family farms? Often disappear because of big business
The Meatrix II: Revolting
1. What has happened in regards to sustainable eating in the past few years? More people are buying better products
2. What happens to cows in dairy factories? Tails are cut off, they are diseased, and spend most of their days between cages and milking
3. What is rBGH? Why is it given to cows? Artifical growth hormone to make the cow grow bigger
4. What happens to the calves? They are separated from their mothers and keep fake milk made in part by cow’s blood
5. What can be caused by this? Mad cow disease
The Meatrix II 1/2
1. At this factory, how many cows can be processed in single day? 5000
2. What often happens to the workers in the processing factories? Factory worker are often injured
3. Profit is the “name of the game”.
4. As a job, meat-packing is one of the most dangerous in the nation.
5. Due to the speed of the processing, what gets all over the meat? What bacteria does this substance contain? What problems can this cause? Manure, E. Coli, sickness and possibly death.
- The precautionary principle- used to prohibit the importation of GMOs, says that if research isn't conclusive, we shouldn't implement it
- Feed- cows used to be fed grass, but now they are fed more of a corn-paste
- Policy & legislation- FDA has standards set to be considered "organic", but companies use other fancy labels
- Health- the animals and people can get sick from the hormones and pesticides used in agriculture
- Community- often forgotten for profit, turning trends around by caring more about how agriculture is upkept
- Family farms- often bought out by big business
- Cows- often abuse and kept in cages all day except to be milked, get tails cut off and are kept-half alive
- Milk- added hormones and minerals, often taken from cows from machines
- Processing- work that was once done by people is now done by machines and it can get unsanitary
- Workers- often injured without proper compensation, one of the most dangerous jobs in America
- Downer cows- its a concern because if a farmer slaughters a downer cow with mad cow disease, it could spread into an outbreak
- Pesticides- insects can grow immune to the pesticides, chemicals can make people sick
- Antibiotics- animals are pumped with these to keep them alive, can make people sick
- rBGH- antibiotic that makes cows bigger, can make them sick
- Agribusiness- in it for profit, little to no regard for the health and safety of the animals and consumers
- Waste Recycling- ways that farms can be more eco-friendly
- Waste- if not properly managed, it can spread and cause pollution in water and air
- Water Pollution- run-off from pesticides can end up in stream and other water resources, getting the public sick