Farming In the USA Commercial Farming what is

Farming In the USA

‘Commercial Farming’ – what is it? Definition: the production of crops and farm animals for sale, with the use of modern technology • The USA is the world’s top exporter of food • USA Farmers are most productive in the world • Only 2% of the whole workforce is in farming!

Why are US farmers so productive? • USA has good, flat, and fertile farmland • High crop yields due to chemicals (pesticides) • Use GMOs (genetically modified foods). Scientists produce strong seeds (less disease) • Farmers get subsidies; the government pays money to farmers who plant specific crops (corn)

You are a farmer with ten different sized fields. You can grow any of the crops in your list. You may choose just one, you may choose to use them all. What you plant is up to you. Some good and bad things may happen to your farm over the next 5 years. Who is the best farmer? Give your farm a name – fill in the map squares with your crop choices. You can use a calculator!!

oats Potatoes Tulips peas Barley carrots VALUES corn Oilseed rape Potatoes and carrots – $20 / hectare peas and corn $25 / hectare Oats and oil seed rape - $30 / hectare Barley - $40 per hectare Tulips - $40 / hectare

Year 1 OH NO!! FLOOD All fields with a river flowing through them have lost their crops. No income will be generated from fields 1, 3, 5 and 6 All other crops remain get their expected value.

Year 2 FORECAST The met office is predicting a warm, dry summer.

Year 2 OH NO!! Drought Your potato crop has failed, you only manage to sell them at $10/Hectare GOOD NEWS Bumper oats and barley crops, they have doubled in value! All other crops remain get their expected value.

Year 3 FORECAST The World Trade Organisation is investigating the subsidies that farmers in the USA get from the government……. . New food export restrictions are imposed to encourage trade from less economically developed countries.

Year 3 TAX Barely and oats have a 50% tax imposed by the countries government, profits have halved. Holland has objected to subsidies for Tulip growing and this has caused markets to collapse in a pricing war. You are lucky to get $5/Hectare

Year 4 Forecast New medical advice encourages people to eat less red meat…….

Year 4 Record levels of vegetarianism Beef and lamb market crash, due to people worried about getting bowl cancer from red meat. Barley price crashes to $10/hectare as farmers no longer need to buy winter feed for their cattle and sheep. GOOD NEWS Carrots and peas double in value All other crops remain at normal prices.

Year 5 Forecast It looks as if we may have a cold winter……

Year 5 What a warm winter! The temperature never dropped below freezing Worries about Global Warming have caused huge price rises for oilseed rape and corn, which are being bought up and used as car fuel. Oilseed rape is now $100/hectare and corn $80/hectare. The early flowering of the tulips coincided with Holland's main crop. Competition means that price falls to $10/hectare Americans have also found they prefer Scottish Whiskey made with oats, oats rise to $60/hectare.

Now add up all you have made over the last 5 years. Do you have the makings of an arable Farmer? Write a summary of your experiences. Which factors affected your food production?

LA PG. 65 The USA has plenty of _________ land good for growing crops and for using large___________. Farmers use a lot of chemicals such as _________ and pesticides to increase crop yields and protect crops The USA leads the world in crop research. Scientists can alter plant______ to get plants that use less water for example. Many farmers grow __________________ crops such as rice, corn and tomatoes. The US government also pays grants or ________ to farmers for a number of crops such as cotton. This means they can earn more money for the crop. Subsidies genetically modified machines genes fertile fertilizers

Farming in the USA • The USA is the worlds top exporter of food. • It has very successful farms Use pg. 65 to explain why farms in USA are so productive. Try to use these words in your answer: Climate landscape mechanised research fertile subsidies farmland