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Agriculture is the industry that I am choosing to reflect upon that is one of the top industries in the United States and therefore I felt it to be a good industry to focus on. Large Crops The financial burden of farm operating costs is substantial and many small family farms suffer when years of produce are lean. For example, my grandfather was farmer of Red Delicious apples from about 1957-2007. He did well for many years. A couple of years past when his crop didn 't produce enough because of frost damage, and almost simultaneously, it seems a change in how the apple industry functioned. Farmers were taking out their trees and planting different varieties such as Espalier trees. New assortments of apples hit the market and were gaining …show more content…
An example that comes to mind and something most have experience with are household cleaners. One can use less commercial chemicals than natural ones such as vinegar/water or baking soda to clean surfaces, but in the long run we know that the chemical cleaners are not as healthy for us to use. They make the job easier a lot of times and so we are stuck with a decision that is sometimes as easy as efficiency vs. overall health. Or to put it another way, short term vs. long term. There is something else, however, to take into account in the farming industry. How regulated are organic sprays? The spray 's that we may show more confidence in. A question I hadn 't thought of initially. "...the actual volume usage of pesticides on organic farms is not recorded by the government." (Wilcox, 2011) So, that in of itself is something I want to know when I am buying my food, but that shouldn 't scare me as much as empower me to make better decisions. Interestingly, farmers that choose to use GMO seeds and pesticides know what to expect. My grandfather would have been considered a
Americans, as a whole, are fat, over-indulged, lazy, entitled humans. As a whole, yes, yes Americans are all of these things. In 2004, Alison Motluk, a freelance journalist who writes for numerous magazines including the New Scientist, The Walrus, and The Economist, pens an article called “Supersize Me: It’s Time to Stop Blaming Fat People for Their Size.” Motluk blames the food industry for increased portions. She blames the food industry for unhealthy, addictive additives dumped into our food. She blames the food industry for easy access to fast food. She blames city growth for making it near impossible to walk to get food therefore, people have to drive to get sustenance. Motluk blames schools for fat children because physical education
The effect from both the Dust Bowl drought and the Great Depression made it hard on farmers in the early 1900’s; it was hard for farmers to produce crops (“The Ultimate AP US History”). Farmers with small businesses were forced to end
Agriculture—it’s something that not very many people know much about. However, it is important for us to survive. Almost everything in our everyday lives is agriculture-related, from the food you eat to the clothes you wear.
Currently, there is a global demand emerging for organic products specifically a huge consumer demand in the United States and Europe. The United States ranks fourth in organically farmed land globally, and sales of organic food have increased by almost a factor of six, from $3.6 billion in 1997 to $21.1 billion in 2008 (Reganold, Andrews, Reeve, Carpenter-Boggs, Schadt, Alldredge, Ross, Davies, Zhou, 2010). In the United States, organic farming has gained much popularity in the farm sector, mainly due to the new wave or generally recognized as healthy food products (Uematsu, Mishra, 2012).
The Costs of Organic Foods: The Food Industry’s Biggest Lies Truly organic foods are hard to come by, and, the price of organic foods has become unparalleled to the costs of ailing fast foods. The average American has easy access to fast foods, but struggles to find truly organic foods, causing the obesity rates to skyrocket. Obesity seems to be a constantly rising epidemic in America, but we as Americans seem to be oblivious to the obvious. Buying organic whole foods may seem to be the solution to the problem, yet the issue seems to lie deeper. Is it not coincidental that in the most underdeveloped parts of America, the only available local food options are fast food restaurants and gas stations?
The farming industry as a whole is failing and that is why we see family farms disappearing from the landscape of America. America has lost 300,000 farmers since 1979 (Wilkinson). Dr. Hudson, a professor of Agricultural Economics at the University of Illinois, stated in the Chicago Tribune, "As an overall industry, farming presents little chance for growth." He then went on to state, "Farming itself is not a growth area… The challenge for farmers is to be good managers" (Gunset). People have to be good farm managers to be successful no matter how large the farm may be.
Many consumers and farmers have discovered that living in an industrialized culture where the focus has become faster, bigger, and cheaper is not the best way to produce our food. Obsessed with productivity, the agriculture industry is reaping the negative consequences of creating an unsustainable environment for food production. Time and time again, the media captures stories regarding deadly bacterial contamination and dangerous pesticide contamination causing illness and death in our communities. The environment is also damaged and contaminated. This devastating trend, due to irresponsible farming practices as a result of the industrialization of the food industry, has become all too common. Returning to organic farming, which our grandparents referred to as farming, and reclaiming our food is not only our choice, it is our right.
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
While I still believe that it will be years and possibly decades before major corporation farms are gone for good, I am confident that the next generations will be responsible for a new wave of thinking when it comes to how we farm. In the next generations, more and more Americans will take steps to become self-sufficient as more light is shed on the devastation that major corporations impose.
Family farms are slowly fading away from the American landscape due to the increasing number of industrialized farms. Yet, there are so many benefits that the family farm brings to the community that it would be foolish to let them slip away. As Americans, we need to do everything we can to support out family farmers because they help the community out in many ways. Everything from local, fresh, produce, to helping keep our land free from chemicals and insecticides are just a few of the tasks they do to help everyone out. Without them, the United States will turn into a place where only few farm, and those who do, farm for an economical motive. America needs the farmer who not only farms for themselves but for the entire community as well.
As we stroll the aisles of our local supermarkets we see all kinds of food products, but does it ever occur to you how fresh or natural these products maybe. Organic farming prohibits any use of artificial chemicals, growth hormones, or antibiotics in the production of its crops and livestock. Organic farming has existed for centuries, but after the industrial revolution factory farming was arising. Organic farming does not allow the use of any pesticides in its crops or livestock production, but also helps sustain a good economic flow in rural communities. Although there are many benefits of organic farming, there is a lack of credibility some farmers provide within the distribution of their products and some argue that there’s no difference
First of all, the main reason that people choose organic food is that people think organic foods have less chemical residue, such as pesticide, and fertilizer. In the article “Organic foods contain higher levels of certain nutrients, lower levels of pesticides, and may provide health benefits for the consumer”, Crinnion indicated that organic foods just had 33 percent of the amount of pesticide and fertilizer residues that found in conventional foods, and conventional foods contain two or more types of chemical residues than organic foods (Crinnion, 2010). In addition, Crinnion used a study of Seattle preschoolers as an example to demonstrate organic foods have less pesticide residues. The study of Seattle concluded that children who ate more conventional foods had six times higher level of pesticide resi...
Animal agriculture is most directly influenced economically by industry. Decision Innovation Solutions, a research group with a background in agriculture, provides that “from 2004-2014, U.S. animal agriculture increased national gross product by $123 billion in economic output, boosted household earnings by over $21 billion and supported an additional 645,629 jobs.” The data, collected by Our Soy Checkoff, an organization for soybean farmers, shows how the growth of animal agriculture in the U.S. over a ten year course led to an increase in jobs and national wealth (“U.S. Economic Impact…”). The presented data demonstrates the improvement of the economy due to animal agriculture workers receiving more income, along with the increase in available jobs. iGrow, an extension of South Dakota State University with a focus on agriculture, says that in 2012 the U.S. animal agriculture was responsible for 1,851,000 jobs, a total economic output of $346 billion, $60 billion in household income, a paid income taxes of $15 billion, and paid property
Sustainability simply defined to me as balancing act between the development of sustainability is necessary for both planet Earth and humans to survive. This is reinforced in the World Commission on Environment and Development report (1987) that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations”. The Earth Charter Organization widened the idea of sustainability to respect for a culture of peace, universal human rights, nature, and economic justice (What is sustainability?, n.d.).
Organic farming has mushroomed drastically in importance and influence worldwide from its modest beginnings in the first half of the last century. Organic farming is production of food and livestock without the use of herbicides, pesticides, weedicides, fertilizers or genetically modified organism and use natural resources such as manure and compost instead. In other words, it is a production system which maintains the quality of soil ecosystem as well as human beings. According to IOWA State University, “the chemicals were not used for farming before World War 2. A number of munitions used in farming have contributed to field of agriculture. For instance, ammonium nitrate used as ammonium nitrate fertilizer”.