Title: Determining Trends In Agriculture
1Lesson
- Determining Trends In Agriculture
2Student Objectives
- Identify trends in animal agriculture
- Identify trends in plant agriculture
- Explain historical events leading to the
development of todays ag industry
3Objective One
- Identify Trends In Animal Agriculture
4Animal Improvement and Breeding
- Prior to the 1960s 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
5Animal Improvement and Breeding
- Widespread use of Artificial Insemination began
in the 1960s - Artificial Insemination involves uniting the male
sperm cells and the female ova - AI greatly increases the use of genetically
superior males
6Animal 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
7Improving 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
8Improving 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
9Improving 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
10Improving 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
11Genetic Improvement
- During the 1980s, 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
12Genetic 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
13Other 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
14Objective Two
- Identify Trends In Plant Agriculture
15Improving Plant Production
- Since the 1920s, ag scientists have discovered
that many fertilizers, pesticides, machines, and
other technologies have improved plant production
and efficiency when put to use
16Improving 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
17Improving 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
18Improving 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
19Genetic Improvement
- Genetic engineering has created plants which are
resistant to specific herbicides, insects, and
diseases - Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like BT
corn and Roundup Ready Soybeans are widely used
20Genetic 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
21Genetic 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
22Information Super Highway
- The 1990s 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
23Information 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
24Information 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
25Objective Three
- Explain Historical Events Leading to the
Development of Todays Ag Industry
26Historical 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
27Historical Developments
- In the 1800s, our nations ag policy began to
take shape as Congress established ag programs
and passed new ag laws - 1825--Congress established a special committee
for agriculture
28Historical Developments
- 1852--The U.S. Patent Office began agricultural
research - 1862--The USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) was established.
29Historical 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)