This document describes the major types of agricultural regions found in more developed countries, including mixed crop and livestock farms, dairy farming, grain farming, livestock ranching, Mediterranean agriculture, commercial fruit and vegetable farming, and plantation farming. It provides details on the key crops grown and locations of each agricultural region. The regions vary based on climate, soil quality, proximity to urban areas, and whether crops are grown for local consumption or export.

1. Types and Location of
Agricultural Regions in More
Developed Countries
CHAPTER 10
Key 3

2. I Mixed Crop and Livestock
• Practiced in most of the USA and much of
Europe
• Integration of crops and livestock. Most of crop
goes to feed livestock rather than people, and
most income comes from animals
• Farmers practice Crop rotation and grow
different things on the land each year to keep
soil fertile. Sometimes rotated between two or
four crops
• Main Crops on Mixed farms in the USA are Corn
and Soybeans

3. II Dairy Farming
• Most important type of commercial agriculture near
urban areas in North East USA and SE Canada and NW
Europe
• Also important in Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.
• Milk can spoil quickly so dairy farms are located within a
MILKSHED or a ring surrounding a city from which
milked can be supplies without spoiling.
• The farther the dairy farm is from the city, the less fresh
milk it produces, instead selling butter, cheese, or other
products. Some countries like New Zealand, one of the
largest dairy producing countries only sells 5% as milk
• Dairy farmers face rising costs and lower profitability.
The number of dairy farms has declined by 2/3 however
the number of cows has only decreased slightly and
production has actually risen

4. III Grain Farming
• Grains are seeds from grasses and include wheat, corn, oats,
barley, rice, millet, and others
• Grown mainly for human consumption
• Wheat is the main grain crop, it has a high value, stores well, and
ships well.
• Three important areas in N.A.
– Winter wheat in Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma
– Spring wheat in Dakotas, Montana, and Saskatchewan in Canada
– Washington State
• Heavily mechanized using first the reaper, now the combine. Some
farmers have two farms in different regions so they have year round
work and income
• Wheat is the leading export crop in international trade. USA and
Canada provide half of worlds wheat and prairies are know as the
“bread basket”

5. IV Livestock Ranching
• Ranching is commercial grazing of livestock over a large
area. Mostly found in arid or semi-arid regions where
soil is poor.
• Origins in Spain and Portugal. Columbus first brought
Cattle to the western hemisphere where it thrived on the
open lands of the frontier.
• Grew in popularity and was a leading type of agriculture
in the mid to late 1800s
• Declined in importance with the rise of sedentary
agriculture.
• Also practiced in parts of South America, Australia, New
Zealand and the Middle East. Often ranches in other
parts of the world have sheep instead of cattle

6. Ranching Culture
• One difficulty of Cattle ranching early on was getting the
cows to market. End of railroad was Abilene Kansas
where Joseph G. McCoy (the real McCoy) built up the
city in increased the number of cattle brought through
the city
• Cattle ranchers followed the “code of the west” and
owned little land but had range rights as to where they
could have their herd
• Government sold open range to farmers setting off range
wars. Farmers won with the invention of barbed wire
and ranchers had to buy or lease land. Today most
grazing land is leased from the U.S. government.
• Ranching became more fixed when new breeds and
irrigation of the dry lands increased.
• The “cowboy” has become a part of U.S. popular culture
due to TV and Movies

7. V. Mediterranean Agriculture
• Found primarily in the lands surrounding the
Mediterranean sea. Also found in small scale in
California, Chile, and parts of South Africa on
the west coasts
• Practice horticulture which is the growing of
fruits, vegetables, and flowers and trees.
• Olives, grapes and fruits are the main crops but
also grow wheat and other cash crops
• Rapid growth of cities in California is cutting into
prime agricultural land, farms move further into
the more arid regions.

8. VI. Commercial gardening and
Fruit Farming
• Found mainly in the U.S. Southeast.
• Crops include apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce,
mushrooms, tomatoes and other foods that consumers
demand
• Sometimes called truck farming, truck was a Middle
English word meaning bartering.
• Highly mechanized and scientific experimenting with
seeds and fertilizers to maximize production.
• Often keep cost down by hiring migrant workers
• Also includes specialty farms for things like peppers,
strawberries and nursery plants

9. VII Plantation Farming
• Type of commercial agriculture found in
LDCs but owned by corporations from
MDCs and grow crops for consumption in
MDCs
• Specialize in one or two crops usually
things like sugar, coffee, cotton, tobacco.
• Before civil war plantations were important
in the Southeast USA.