Welcome to The Farmer’s Daughter blog! I’m so excited to be able to share my love for the agriculture industry through this blog. For my first post, we are going to take a deep dive into what agriculture really is!
Let’s first start out with an introduction! My name is Emma, and I am the farmer’s daughter. My dad instilled a love for agriculture in both my sister and I. In a small town, it doesn't take much for you to be "The Farmer's Daughter". I’ve been involved in agriculture since I was about three years old. I’ve grown up on a farm almost my entire life and have gotten to experience agriculture in many ways.
This blog is going to focus on what agriculture really is. From taking deep dives into different aspects of the industry to highlighting different farms, you can expect it all from The Farmer’s Daughter!
What is Agriculture?
Agriculture is defined as the science or practice of farming, the growing of crops, and rearing of animals to provide food, wool and other products. Essentially, agriculture is the food you eat, the clothes you wear, and much more! Agriculture is in our everyday life, and it would be almost impossible to imagine a life without agriculture. Agriculture started more than 12,000 years ago and is present all over the world. The agriculture industry is also the world’s largest industry.
Take a look at the graphic below, it shows just how important agriculture is, but by the numbers!
From raising animals, to growing crops, to operating different machinery, there are so many different components of the agriculture industry. It would almost be impossible to cover all the different areas of the industry in one blog post, so for now, we will focus on crop production and animal production!
Animal Production
Animal production focuses on raising and maintaining livestock, while also producing products like meat, milk and eggs. This area focuses on many of our favorite farm animals such as pigs, cows, goats, sheep, etc. Farms or ranches can specialize in animal production by raising only one type of animal.
For example, do you ever see big farm buildings when you are driving down the highway? Many of those buildings serve as houses for one animal, for example a chicken house (Pictured below). Sometimes you’ll even see the animals in pastures outside with those animals are being raised in a free-range pasture!
The animals are cared for by the farmers throughout their entire time on the farm. Then the animals will be fed and raised to their full potential in those facilities before being sold for meat.
Animal production facilities are the reason we get to enjoy some of our favorite foods. Do you enjoy a fresh juicy hamburger? Those hamburgers are coming straight from the farm to you!
Crop Production
Crop production is growing crops for domestic and commercial purposes. Crop production deals with the use of crops for food and fiber. There are many steps within the production of crops. From preparing the soil, planting the seeds, applying any fertilizers, harvesting the crops, and learning how to properly store them, there’s a lot that goes into growing any crop.
Crop production started over 11,000 years ago as people began to learn how to grow different crops. It is said the first domestic crops were corn and rice, which are still two major food crops. Other crops include wheat, soybeans, potatoes, and cotton.
For example, if you are ever driving and see huge fields filled with a crop like corn, that field is a part of the crop production area of agriculture.
Just like animal production, crop production helps ensure we have food on our plates.
Other Areas of Ag
Other areas of agriculture include agronomy, agriculture engineering, agricultural economics, animal science, forestry, and many more! Since agriculture is the largest industry and plays such an important role in our lives, there are so many different parts of the industry. In some of my later blogs, we will learn more about the areas of the industry not covered in this post!
Stay Tuned!
While I have most of my experience in animal production, I am excited to do a deep dive in agriculture throughout this blog. I can’t wait to further my knowledge of agriculture by talking to experts in the field and getting to share that knowledge with you! Follow along for more blog posts that explore how great the ag industry is!
Stay tuned for the next blog on The Farmer’s Daughter! Thanks for reading!