Farming Research Farming in the U.S. covers nearly 2.3 billion acres of land. Gradual declines have occurred in cropland, pasture and range in the past several years and there are many reasons for why that is happening. In order for farms to stop the decrease and to continue to have a prospering and growing farm they have to take a few things into consideration. These things include Large scale farming practices and green farming practices. These techniques play a big part in how the crops are grown. Believe it or not , not many farmers farm their crops as efficiently as you would think either. Although many farmers have been in the agricultural business for quite some time. Often times they just use techniques familiar to them that had …show more content…
Monoculture farming is used in the U.S because is produces lots of food produce for our economy, even though it has its pros, it also has cons.This use of monoculture farming means that only one kind of crop is placed on open land; just like what is done in wheat fields, grape vineyards as well as apple orchards. However, experts are now discovering, despite the benefits, that this practice might be having negative effects in terms of the fight against climate change and land degradation.It is very critical to understand the advantages and disadvantages of monoculture farming.on a positive side ,this technique can play to the advantages of the local climate and soil …show more content…
Proponents of no till gardening claim that it is beneficial because it does not disturb the organism's. Some disadvantages of no tilling however are leaving the bad insects or fungi into the soil to disturb the crop. This no till method may allow beneficial organisms to thrive but could encourage other harmful pests to also flourish as well. With few disadvantages of no tilling there are many advantages of this farming technique. With no tilling there is also another method called tilling. Tilling will destroy invasive weed growth in your crop, and will also help loosen up the soil so that your seeds have a faster sprout and germinating process. The reason as to why your plants will prosper faster is because there is less roadblocks stopping your plants from growing by establishing a rooting system. Unlike the no till method ways of putting organic matter over the top soil. For example, mulch where it can decompose faster to provide earlier biomass to your plants. In order to till however your soil actually needs to be at about 60 degrees fahrenheit before you work with it. To test and see if your soil is able to be tilled pick up a handful of your soil and squeeze it in your palm. If your soil crumbles it should be dry enough for you to start tilling the soil for your crops. Dry also meaing moist, not wet.
In the movie “American Meat” the writers discussed the difference between commodity farming and sustainable farming. The film does not give a balanced view between the two types of farming. The future of farming is sustainable farming. As seen in the movie, it is possible to sustain all of the American people while practicing sustainable farming methods.
Crops today are thriving, and farmers can owe it all to the pesticides they use. If no pesticides were used, then insects would destroy crops, feeding off of their leaves and produce until hardly anything is left. According to corncommentary.com, Without the use of pesticides and fungicides, most fruit and vegetable crops would suffer a 50-90 percent loss due to uncontrolled insects and disease organisms. Despite what most people believe, even organic growers use pesticides on their crops that have been approved for such organic growers. Even they know that the wrath of insects and other disease organisms would destroy their plants and their profit they would have made from those plants. Also, without things such as weed killers, people would have to till the soil around their crops by hand. On large scale farms, this would take a huge amount of people to complete a task like this. The weeds would have to be pulled up, by their roots to ensure they wouldn’t grow back rapidly. On top of that, the crop would have to be routinely checked for weeds, as they grow fast and of many. The amount of money it would take to pay all the workers, and how often they would need to be paid for their work, is not owned by any farmer. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are what help keep our crops protected and healthy. Without them, we would be in deep
Polyculture is associated with, but not exclusively limited to, the movement in organic farming (Pollan 144). The main drawback is the work required to maintain the different species being grown. Each plant requires its own growing conditions, so maintenance becomes labor intensive. However, this method of farming greatly increases the biodiversity of the fields which reduces susceptibility to disease and pests, and creates genetically diverse species. Polyculture is very different from monoculture in more ways than simply growing more than one crop. Monoculture is the attempt to control a crop to maximize yield. Polyculture is the acknowledgement of nature’s control and the attempt to grow successful crops through changing the process of growing plants based on the ecological system around them. The people who grew early potatoes on the Andes grew a wide variety of different potato species so that not all of them were likely to susceptible to the same disease (Pollan 131). Pollan’s discussion of these methods leans heavily toward the idea that even though monoculture is simpler and more profitable, it is an inferior method to polyculture that is mainly still in use to feed the capitalistic machine of the global food
No till is the act of not working the ground. It seems simple, but it’s also very confusing for farmers or other people who have not used the No till method. Many farmers around the United States are slowly, doubtfully changing over to No till or increased crop residue tillage. The farmers that have good yield and luck with older tilling methods usually tend to stay with that certain tillage method.
The amount of foodstuffs produced by organic farms does not meet the demand of the population, which is the main objective of farming. Observing the United States of America alone and using myself as the average American we
By implementing new farming techniques provided with the new technological advances in machines we can see abundant harvest in even the poorest third world countries. For example, the Green Revolution has already showed admirable progress in the northern part of India ever since it took start in 1950. By 1997, northern India increased its grain production by 37 percent. This has proven that traditional farming methods are being rendered obsolete. And because by the year 2000, there will be half the land per person in developing countries as there was in 1970, we need to apply ultra-efficient methods to sustain the growing need. Not only does the Green Revolution enhances food output, it also preserves the environment.
Many will say factory farming can be efficient, which it can be because “with the use of factory farms, the prices of food has drastically dropped.” (greengarageblog.org) and “the main reason for this is that food are being processed and produced at a faster rate by employing efficient processes.” (greengarageblog.org) Factory farming is also considered efficient because of livestock being raised in small confined spaces which gives more space to be utilized. this makes the cost of land go down because of the smaller amount of space they have to buy. Also factory farming uses high tech machinery to replace the manual labor that farmers would have to do. the machinery leaves little jobs open so the most fitting person would get the job. farmers will then be able to hire better workers. Trying to better the situation on disease carrying food with the cost of food being cheaper through factory farming, it gives farmers more money to grow and raise a larger variety of food. The advancements in bio technology also has led to the creation of hybrid plants that can resist
How society created a system in nature where animals and farming actually ruin the land, the same land that was once so cherished by our ancestors, completely stupefies me. When America moved from the locally-owned farms to the gigantic food manufacturers of today, it also moved away from the idea of the sustainability of earth by not preserving the land. Since this movement skyrocketed our economy and allowed for growth in several sectors of life, people gave no second thought to the changes being made. How have we as a society gone so long without even considering the impact of such an enormous revision within our agricultural system? Through industrialized farming, we allow our land to be demolished. However, some farmers know an alternative way of farming. Some farmers use the alternative method of organic farming, a natural agriculture solution. Although there are various factors involved in organic farming, weighing the benefits and costs of this type of farming—on both large and small scale levels—permi...
Conventional farming practices are responsible for many negative health and environmental issues. One of the main issues is the creation of monocultures in the farming environment. Specifically growing the same species of plants or animals in mass quantities without variation every season is not natural. Monocultures do not exist in nature (Pollan 67). Nature practices diversity and for good reason. In nature and organic farming, if there is a threat to one species, there are others to balance the decrease in the threatened species. Conventional farmers and the modern food industry argue that planting the same crop year after year is convenient and profitable because it cuts down on the different types of farm equipment necessary in production, and initially, in the types of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers needed. However, in this unnatural environment, tremendous amounts of pest...
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.
Farmers are essentially the back-bone of the entire food system. Large-scale family farms account for 10% of all farms, but 75% of overall food production, (CSS statistics). Without farmers, there would be no food for us to consume. Big business picked up on this right away and began to control the farmers profits and products. When farmers buy their land, they take out a loan in order to pay for their land and farm house and for the livestock, crops, and machinery that are involved in the farming process. Today, the loans are paid off through contracts with big business corporations. Since big business has such a hold over the farmers, they take advantage of this and capitalize on their crops, commodities, and profits. Farmers are life-long slaves to these b...
As the global population continues to rise, the amount of food needed to feed the people will increase as well. Two types of agriculture systems have been the backbone for crop production for decades if not centuries: conventional and organic agriculture— both methods could not be any more different. Conventional agriculture, a method that uses synthetic chemical pesticides, technologies or additives, and practices that are unsustainable is the leading producer for our food. On the other side of spectrum, organic agriculture generally, performed in a much smaller scale, does not use synthetic chemicals and utilize methods that are environmentally sound. Most conventional
Scientists say that farmers need to produce 50-100 percent more food than they already do now.... ... middle of paper ... ... Chances are farmers aren’t going to pack up everything to adapt to a new farming method that is just too expensive for the farmers.
Agriculture is one of the most ancient forms of art and science that ties human development and well-being to natural resources and ecosystems. (Fritz J. Häni, 2007) Sustainable Agriculture is the production of food, fibre, plant and animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities and animal welfare. (Sustainable Agriculture - The Basics, 2015) Sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site – specific application that over the long term will:
The philosophy of agriculture to live harmony with nature is deeply rooted in ancient agriculture and still practiced in India, China and the Andes. Organic agriculture reflects this philosophy, but the recent history of concepts such as organic, bio dynamic, natural farming and other related concepts, can be traced back to early in the 20th century. Conventional agriculture differ from organic farming in terms of usage of chemical fertilizers which increase the nutrient of the soil, usage of genetically modified seeds for better crop production as well as the use of antibiotics and hormones in animal farming. In Malaysia, the major agriculture crop productions are rice, fruits and vegetables (including palm oil production). China is in the first ranking for agriculture sector followed by India and United States of America. Since organic farming is practiced by many countries, without further ado, let’s take a look on how it can affect the environment and its implementation.