Agriculture In American Agriculture

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Bethany Alvarez, 2/26/14
Modern American Agriculture: It’s Effects on Crops and Farmers
Corn has always been an essential to American agriculture. Yet the corn grown by our ancestors is unlike the corn we grow today; corn has changed in its quality, quantity, usage, and its inherent compromise. The age of industrialization provided new technology and techniques for farming. Agriculture became modernized in response to increased demand in the job and food markets. However, farming is no longer a way of life but a business. It has begun to attract those more interested in gain than in those actually interested in preserving the American heritage of agriculture.
Corn originally came from Mexico. As Midwestern America grew, an influx of corn plantations also followed. Though there are numerous types of corn, yellow corn currently dominates the market. The state of Iowa is the leader in corn production and often has an over-abundance every year. Small towns in Iowa have sustained the growth of corn for generations. Often, these close knit communities dedicate much of their lives and livelihood to the agriculture industry. Some advancements in the farming method actually came from Iowa cities. “Old Reliable” was the first tractor, created in Iowa, and it closely resembles tractors used today. American agriculture would not be what it is today without the people and places of the Midwest.
Modern day farmers can plant three times as much corn as their grandfathers. Approximately two hundred bushels of corn come from one acre of land. This impressive haul is due largely to industrialized corn; corn that has been modified to create a greater yield. Impressive corn quantity is due to its tolerance against elements of the environment- inc...

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...ith the growing corn industry are forced to abandon the practice all together. This mostly occurs when farmers, or outside sources, buy up multiple acres on different lands. Then, they create a large business out of family-farming.
Corn is a part of American farming. However, American farming has been changing drastically over the past century. With new technology and greater demands, agriculture has needed to modernize itself. This requires corn to fundamentally change in its structure and purpose. Not only does this change the quality of corn or its usage, but it also affects corn’s quantity. There is a yearly over-abundance of corn yet corn still keeps getting produced. The honesty of genuine farming has been lost over the years. Farming is not a way of life anymore. It’s a business that takes away from the farmers themselves and only focuses on their product.

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