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Agriculture and Agribusiness. Chapter 1. What is Agribusiness?. All operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of farm supplies Production operations on the farms Storage, processing, and distribution of the resulting farm commodities and items. The Big Picture.
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Agriculture and Agribusiness Chapter 1
What is Agribusiness? • All operations involved in the manufacture and distribution of farm supplies • Production operations on the farms • Storage, processing, and distribution of the resulting farm commodities and items
The Big Picture • Agribusiness companies provide input supplies to the farmer. The output from farmers is taken by agribusinesses and process, market and distribute the products
Life Before Agriculture • People looked for food • Learned to fish • Fire
Early Ag Development • Raise crops • Domesticate animals • People were no longer nomads
Bronze Age • 3,000 BC • Started using metal to cultivate larger areas of land faster • Nile River used for irrigation • Wheel discovered • World population rose from 3 million to nearly 100 million
Iron Age • 1,000 BC • Iron hand tools and plows • Mondey developed to trade excess crops
The Middle Ages • 400-1500 AD • Crop rotation, harness (switch from oxen to horses), selective breeding
Farming and Agribusiness in America • Organic fertilizer • Rice 1st grown in US • George Washington created an experimental farm • Thomas Jefferson experimented with seeds and livestock
After the American Revolution • Surveying • Cotton Gin • Vaccines • Cast iron plow • Interchangeable parts developed so people could fix equipment
Ag and Industrial Revolution • Many inventions (steam engine, railroads) and people left farms to work in cities • Cars • Crop rotation • Seed drill • Reaper • Threshing machine • Steel plow • Barbed wire • Gas tractor
1st ½ of 20th Century • Panama Canal opened • Smith Hughes act • Cooperative Extension Service • Hybrid Seeds • Then the Dust Bowl and Depression
Because of Depression • Gov paid farmers for using soil conservation practices • Soil conservation service • FFA • High crop yields • Gov paid for more reserve and education • Antibiotics used for animals
Last ½ of 20th Century • AI • More production • Electric fences • Pesticides • Futures • Computers
Success • 1 farmer feeds 150 people • US feeds less than 9% of income on food • exports