AGR 199 – Contemporary Issues in Agriculture

Welcome

• Contemporary Issues in Agriculture

– Issues Class- meaning an in-depth exploration of conflict between two oppositional sides of an issue.

Conflict

• Example: Organic Farming vs. Conventional Farming

– Organic Position- cut production quantity to focus on production quality for the health of all involved.

– Conventional Position- Increase productivity through the use of technology and site specific inputs to increase profitability for producer and decrease food price for consumer.

What is this class?

• Better question: What does this class mean?

• What do the following words mean?– Contemporary– Issue– Agriculture

Contemporary

• (Adjective) – Existing or occurring at, or dating from, the same period of time as something or somebody else.

• (Noun) – Somebody or something in existence at the present time.

Issues

• (Noun) – A topic for discussion or of general concern.

• (Verb) – transitive verb - To make public something such as a bulletin, statement, warning, or deliver it officially to somebody.

Agriculture

• As defined by Bill Gates and the Microsoft Crew

• (Noun) – The occupation, business, or science of cultivating the land, producing crops, and raising livestock.

• Thesaurus says agriculture is, “Farming, Cultivation, Crop Growing, and Gardening”

Is America illiterate about Agriculture?

• Or is Agriculture illiterate about Agriculture?– The largest employer– $1,000,000,000,000 industry

• Since 1850, the definition of a farm has changed 9 times (USDA, 2008).

So…what is a farm?

• Since 1974, the USDA has defined a farm as…

– any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products (crops and livestock) were sold or normally would have been sold during the year

What about this class?

• Identify issues

• Effectively communicate

• Learn how to research

• Develop independent decisions and opinions with valuable documentation.

• Gain knowledge in agriculture

• Gain self-confidence

What will we discuss?

• Rodeo– Do you think rodeo

is fair animal treatment?

• USDA– What do they do?

Who is the secretary of Agriculture?

• Organic Food– Does your body

function better on antioxidants? What are they?

• Tobacco– What is your

stance? No smoking? Or limited?

• Fast Food-– Is it good for you?– How much do we

consume?

• PETA-– How do you feel

about this activist group?

Along with…

• We will also discuss the History of Agriculture.

• Who can forget Norman Borlaug?

• Certified Organic- Is it really all organic?

• Horse Slaughter-– Are you for it or

against it and why?

AG. Illiteracy

• Chicken or beef?• Or should I say Holstein?• When is the last time you sat down to a

juicy hunk of milk cow?• Oh- and who can forget the hit movie Barnyard where all of the bull cattle had udders?

• We all know male cattle don’t have udders!

Discussions

• We will discuss much more as well.

• Remember to practice appropriate professional discussion as the issues come forth.

Looking Ahead

• Go over syllabus

• Make sure that you understand all of the grading procedures.

• During the next class section, we will look at the history of agriculture.