Agriculture

Show Only ...
Maps - Photos - Videos

New roots are foundation for big changes – CALS

|

New roots are foundation for big changes – CALS

"Bite into an apple, and you’re tasting the fruit of scientific progress with deep roots. Apple-growing operations over the past half-century have undergone a stark transformation. Large, stately trees have given way to diminutive ones spread across wires like grapevines. But the story of the modern apple orchard begins in many ways below ground. Almost all commercial growers now graft branches of a preferred apple variety—say Gala or SnapDragon or any one of the thousands of other options—onto chosen rootstocks. These rootstocks provide optimal attributes below ground while allowing growth of any fruit variety above. Rootstock breeding has made a dramatic shift in orchards around the world, influencing attributes such as the size and shape of the trees and their resiliency in withstanding disease."

Animal domestication and agriculture | Opinion | pressrepublican.com

|

Animal domestication and agriculture | Opinion | pressrepublican.com

"As fewer and fewer people are directly involved in agriculture, it becomes easy for consumers to develop misconceptions about agricultural practices, especially those involving animals. Everyone loves animals and in today’s age it is easy to view them only as pets and companions. People often lose sight of what animal domestication truly is, why it happened in the first place and why it continues to be an essential part of our existence as we know it."

"According to Wikipedia, domestication of animals is “the mutual relationship between animals and the humans who have influence on their care and reproduction.” It is important to note the word “mutual”, because this is the part that often gets lost in remembering why we have animals, especially in agricultural production. We give them feed, shelter, veterinary care, and often times protection — in return, they give us food, or in the case of draft animals, “horsepower.”

Meat Goat Production

|

Goat meat, aka chevon and cabrito, capretto, or kid is not a real popular commodity in the United States, although there are some very large meat goat farms in Texas and some pockets of meat goat farms in Oklahoma, Tennessee and a few other states. Most counties have some farms raising meat goats, but for the most part, it's not a major commodity, as people don't raise goats commercially much in the United States for food.

More about meat goats: https://www.southernstates.com/articles/raising-meat-goats.asp
Data Source: USDA Agriculture Census, 2012. Goats for meat. Counts. https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/

Land and Legacy Podcast – Farming Practices Old and New

|

Land and Legacy Podcast – Farming Practices Old and New

"On this week's For Love of the Land Podcast Adam sits down with his Grandpa to discuss the evolution of farming practices since the 1950s. There is no question much has changed from our understanding of soil health down to implements and farming practices that we use on a daily basis.

Deep tillage was a common practice in those days as there was a big push for preparing a proper seedbed. Herbicide usage has drastically increased over time, as well as the use of a brush hog. To understand where we are heading in land management, it is important to understand where we've been. Evolving is a must as we move forward with farming in a more sustainable manner."

The Amish Live Simply But Don’t Confuse Them with Environmentalists

|

The Amish Live Simply But Don’t Confuse Them with Environmentalists

"Ultimately, Amish engagements with nature cannot be reduced to a simplistic trope. Rather, they reflect a complicated mix of historical experience, economic pragmatism and cultural and religious understandings. The sooner we can move beyond an idealistic image of the all-natural Amish, the easier it will be to find common ground between Amish and non-Amish communities."