2. Commercial agriculture, found in more
developed countries is the production of
food for sale off the farm

5. Value of Agricultural Products Sold
(2002)
Over $5.5 billion annually
$3.9 - $5 billion annually
$2.3 - $3.9 billion annually
$600 million - $2.3 billion annually
Under $600 million annually
Source: USDA, Census of Agriculture.

6.  Most common form of agriculture in the US
west of the Appalachians and east of 98’
West
 Europe from France to Russia
 Integration of crops and livestock
 Grains for animal feed some human
consumption
 beef, milk and eggs
 animals provide manure to enhance soil fertility
 ¾ income derived from animal sales
 Almost 100% of land devoted to crops

7.  Evenly distributed workload
 Consistent income throughout year
 Crop rotation rather than shifting
cultivation
 Extensive agriculture
 Corn #1 in US due to higher yields per acre
 Consumed by both people and animals
 Soybeans #2 in US
 Mostly consumed as animal feed

9. Root Crop-Cereal Crop-Rest Crop

18.  Consider: transportation
factors and Von Thunen’s
model
 Most important type of
agriculture practiced on
farms near large urban areas
in the US
 Milk shed: 300 miles
 The average size of a dairy
cow herd in the US is 135
cows

19.  Labor intensive all
year long
 Declining revenue and
rising costs
 Milk products vs
cheese and butter
 The farther the farm
from the urban area the
smaller percentage of
output devoted to milk
 Wisconsin vs
Pennsylvania

22. Milk is produced in all 50
States. The top 10 producing
States in 2008 were:
California
Wisconsin
New York
Idaho
Pennsylvania
Minnesota
Texas Since 1970, milk production has risen by
New Mexico almost half, even though milk cow
Michigan numbers have declined by about a fourth
Washington

24.  Food grains: off site consumption by humans
 Grain sold to manufactures of food products
 Breakfast cereals and snack foods
 Commercial grain farms generally found in areas
too dry for mixed livestock and crop farming
 US is world’s largest commercial producer of
grain
 Wheat, oats, corn, barley, rice, millet (unless you
have a beak…buy only hulled millet for human
consumption)

25.  Wheat!
 Sold for higher prices than other grains
 More uses for human food
 Stored easily without spoilage
 Transported a long distance
 Wheat is world’s leading export crop and
grown specifically for international trade
 Spring wheat region vs winter wheat region
 Highly mechanized

31.  Millet
 Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota

33.  Commercial grazing of livestock over an
extensive area
 Semi arid or arid land where vegetation too
sparce and soil too poor to support crops
 Extensive agriculture
 World wide concentrations in Spain, Portugal,
Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay

38.  Named for mild climate
surrounding the
Mediterranean Sea in
Europe
 Generally found on West
coasts of continents
 Food for human
consumption
Portugal: winter wheat and sheep
 Horticulture: science and
art of gardening and of
cultivating fruits,
vegetables, plants and
flowers
 Olives, grapes
(viticulture), cereals,
citrus, cork (Portugal)

39.  Olives…oil, fruit
 Europe, Australia,
New Zealand,
California

40.  Viticulture: the
cultivation of
grapes
 Mediterranean
Europe, Australia,
US west coast

41.  Portugal
produces 50% of
world’s cork
 Bottle corks,
flooring, ceilings
 9 years
 Ecologically
friendly

48.  Urban agriculture
 Intensive agriculture
 High land rents
 Truck farming
 Apples, asparagus, cherries, lettuce,
mushrooms, tomatoes
 Migrant workers