Lesson

Determining Trends In Agriculture

Student Objectives

• Identify trends in animal agriculture

• Identify trends in plant agriculture

• Explain historical events leading to the development of today’s ag industry

Objective One

Identify Trends In Animal Agriculture

Animal Improvement and Breeding

• Prior to the 1960’s improvement was limited to natural selection

• Natural Selection is a process where animals with superior genetic quality are used for breeding

• Animals with less desirable traits are eliminated from the population

Animal Improvement and Breeding

• Widespread use of Artificial Insemination began in the 1960’s

• Artificial Insemination involves uniting the male sperm cells and the female ova

• AI greatly increases the use of genetically superior males

Animal Improvement and Breeding

• The development of superovulation and embryo transfer has greatly increased the number of offspring a genetically superior female can produce in her lifetime

Improving Animal Production

• Biotechnological discoveries in recent years have helped to improve animal production and efficiency

• Using results from biological scientific investigation and research and putting it to practical use in agriculture is called biotechnology

Improving Animal Production

• Bovine somatotropin, or bST, is a hormone which will increase milk production when given to cows

• The hormone was found to occur naturally in cows and is found in all milk

Improving Animal Production

• Porcine somatotropin, or pST, is a hormone that regulates growth rates in pigs and will increase the production of muscle cells and feed efficiency if given to hogs

Improving Animal Production

• Implants are small pellets that can be placed under the skin of animals. The pellets contain hormones or other growth regulators which will release slowly to improve the animals production and efficiency

Genetic Improvement

• During the 1980’s, scientists discovered the process of changing the genetic information of DNA and were able to move genes from one cell to another. This process is often referred to as genetic engineering

Genetic Improvement

• A transgenetic animal is one that has had its genes altered or manipulated

• Genetic improvements can also improve the productive ability and efficiency of livestock

Other Animal Industry Trends

• Aquaculture is a rapidly growing enterprise in the ag industry and has provided a niche market for some producers

• Aquaculture is the production of fish and other aquatic plants and animals

Objective Two

Identify Trends In Plant Agriculture

Improving Plant Production

• Since the 1920’s, ag scientists have discovered that many fertilizers, pesticides, machines, and other technologies have improved plant production and efficiency when put to use

Improving Plant Production

• Tractors replaced the use of horses and led to what has been termed the second agricultural revolution

• Tractors outnumbered horses and mules on farms for the first time in 1954

Improving Conservation

• Conventional tillage operations, which used moldboard plowing, gave way to conservation tillage practices like minimum tillage (no moldboard plow and fewer seedbed tillage practices) and no-tillage, where only planting, spraying, and harvesting is done

Improving Conservation

• More and more producers began using Low Input Sustainable Agriculture (LISA) techniques.

• LISA involves using less chemicals and commercial fertilizers while maintaining production efficiency and profit

Genetic Improvement

• Genetic engineering has created plants which are resistant to specific herbicides, insects, and diseases

• Genetically modified organisms (GMO’s) like BT corn and Roundup Ready Soybeans are widely used

Genetic Improvement

• Some plants have been developed which are more resistant to frost damage

• Other plants have been improved genetically to give them a longer storage or shelf life

Genetic Improvement

• Cloning techniques have been improved. Cloning is an asexual reproduction method where no union of male and female sex cells occurs

• Methods of tissue culture, which is propagating plants from a single cell or group of cells, have been perfected

Information Super Highway

• The 1990’s brought the information age to agriculture

• Global Positioning Systems (GPS) use satellites to find exact field locations for grid mapping, soil sampling, and monitoring harvest yield results

Information Super Highway

• Site specific farming involves applying different cultural practices to meet the needs of different field locations

• VRT (variable rate technology), for example,involves applying different fertilizer or pesticide rates to different field locations based upon site needs

Information Super Highway

• The widespread use of computers and computer technology has created many improvements in production

• The internet is a computer network linking communications for agribusinessmen and producers across the nation and around the world

Objective Three

Explain Historical Events Leading to the Development

of Today’s Ag Industry

Historical Developments

• Historical events help us understand our present and predict or future

• At the time of the Declaration of Independence, nearly 90% of the people were farming

• George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were very progressive farmers

Historical Developments

• In the 1800’s, our nation’s ag policy began to take shape as Congress established ag programs and passed new ag laws

• 1825--Congress established a special committee for agriculture

Historical Developments

• 1852--The U.S. Patent Office began agricultural research

• 1862--The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) was established.

Historical Developments

• Can you think of other historical events which have had a significant impact on American agriculture as

we know it today?(We have discussed many this week)