Learning the Importance of Grain Crops

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Learning the Importance of Grain Crops

• Unit 1, Lesson 6
• Plant Science Lessons

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Student Learning Objectives

• As a result of this lesson, the student will
• Objective 1 Learn the Important Field Crops in
  the United States.
• Objective 2 Identify the primary states for
  field crop production.
• Objective 3 Evaluate the factors for selection
  of field crops.

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History of Crop Production

• Cultivation of the land and growing of crops
  began thousands of years ago.
• The need to produce food for the animals that
  humans had captured caused humans to change from
  hunters to farmers.
• Trial and error and thousands of years of
  selection have led to certain crops being grown
  today.
• Almost 450 million acres are used for crop
  production in the United States!
• Due the efficiency of the American Farmer, only 2
  percent of the population is involved in the
  production of food and fiber.

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Categories of Field Crops

• There are three categories of field crops
• grain crops
• oil seed crops
• specialty crops

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Three major grain crops grown in the U.S.

• Wheat
• Corn
• Rice

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Other smaller grain crops include
Sorghum
Barley
Oats
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Uses of Grain Crops
Crop Uses of Selected Grains
Corn Food cooking oil, bread, breakfast cereal, sweetener Feed for livestock, fish, poultry, pets Other used as fuel, for medicines and cosmetics
Wheat Food bread, pasta, breakfast cereal Feed For livestock and poultry Other Adhesives, alcohol, and in manufacturing
Rice Food boiled as a main or side dish, breakfast cereal Other hull products and used as straw
Oats Food Breakfast Cereals Feed Mainly for cattle and horses
Barley Food Mainly in malting Feed For Livestock
Rye Food Mainly in bread Feed For livestock
Grain Sorghum Feed For livestock and poultry
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Oilseed Crops

• Oilseed crops are those which are mainly grown
  for the production of oil from their seeds.
  Products from these seeds are becoming
  increasingly popular as people move away from
  consuming animal fats in their diet and move more
  towards plant oils.

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Primary Oilseed Crops

• The primary oilseed crops are soybeans, peanuts,
  corn, cottonseed, canola, safflower, flax and
  sunflower.
• Which of these products are grown in Colorado?

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What are specialty crops?

• For the purposes of this lesson, fiber crops,
  forage crops, sugar crops and stimulant crops are
  categorized as specialty crops.
• One may also consider vegetable crops as a
  specialty crop, but often these are considered to
  be a portion of horticulture production as well.

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Fiber Crops

• The primary fiber crop raised in the United
  States is cotton. There are approximately 15
  million bales of cotton are harvested each year
  in this country.
• What is the process called to remove the cotton
  seed from the cotton after harvest?

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Forage Crops

• Forage crops are utilized as roughage for
  livestock feed.
• Crops include hay, alfalfa, and silages.
• Why is roughage necessary
• for livestock?

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Sugar Crops

• Sugar beet production accounts for about 35
  percent of the refined sugar produced in the
  United States.
• The rest is produced by sugar cane.
• How are the growing conditions different of these
  two crops?

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Stimulant Crops

• The primary stimulate crop grown in the United
  States is tobacco.
• It is produced predominantly in the southern
  states of North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia,
  South Carolina Tennessee and Georgia.
• Tobacco production is very labor intensive and is
  considered to be a cash crop (one that is grown
  strictly to sell for cash).
• What climatic conditions are necessary
• for high quality tobacco?

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Objective 2

• Select color keys for the primary field crops.
• Color the map accordingly for those states with
  the highest production!

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Tips to selecting a field crop

• Select crops that will produce desired yields
  under climate available
• Crops should be adapted to the type of soil
  available
• Consider the demand and availability of markets
  for the crop to be produced.
• Assess labor requirements and the availability of
  labor necessary for the crop
• Identify machinery and equipment needed to grow
  and harvest
• Identify pest control problems
• Estimate the expected yields and production costs
  Can you expect to make a profit?
• Other considerations?