Agriculture in the usa

The United States agriculture sector is very well known worldwide for its productivity.

The USA’s large farms make it the world’s leading food producer. Major farm products are beef, dairy foods, pigs, chickens, turkeys, cereals including corn and wheat, soybeans, cotton, tobacco, fruit, and vegetables. There are several reasons for this capacity to produce.

For one thing, farmers use advanced technology and large machinery to grow and harvest their crops. Mechanization and technology enable farmers to cultivate large amounts of land.

Secondly the United States is a very large country, running 4.800 kilometers from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans and 3.200 kilometers from the Canadian border to some parts of its southern border. Rich soil and temperate climate over most of the United States also increase agriculture productivity. Various sections of the United States are known for different agriculture products.

Corn Belt: Corn Belt includes Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, parts of Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas.

Major crops are corn, soybeans, some wheat, oats and barley. Livestock operations include hog and beef cattle, dairy and poultry. This is the most agriculturally productive region in the USA.

Great Plains: Great Plains include North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, parts of Texas, and Eastern Colorado.

Major crops are wheat (3/5 of U.S. wheat production comes from this area), grain sorghum, barley and alfalfa. Livestock includes beef and dairy operations supported by forage crops. Irrigation is used throughout the area because rainfall is less than in the Corn Belt.

Delta: Delta includes Southern Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

Major crops are soybeans and cotton. Rice is also an important crop. Sugarcane is also raised. Beef cattle livestock operations have increased due to improved pasture lands. Land is very rich and fertile but erodes easily. Growing season is longer than in the Corn Belt.

Southeast: Southeast includes Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

Peanuts are major crop, as are vegetables and timber. Beef cattle, poultry, and swine operations dot the region. Florida is unique because of its temperate climate. Citrus and winter vegetables are important crops.

New England: New England includes Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

This is another milk producing region, part of which is used to supply the major metropolitan areas further south. Cold weather fruits such as apples, cherries, and pitches as well as grapes are found near the Great Lakes. These large bodies of water protect fruit from frost. Potato production is found in the extreme north.

Great Lakes: Great Lakes include Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.

Each state is bordered by at least one of the Great Lakes. This is another major milk producing region, these states supply major portion of the processed milk products, like cheese, butter, and ice cream to the rest of the USA. Cold weather fruits such as apples and cherries are used in canning and freezing operations again to supply the rest of the country.

Hawaii: These tropical islands are located in the Pacific. Major crops include fruits, such as pineapples, as well as sugarcane. Beef cattle are another major product.

Agriculture Specialization

Agriculture in the USA is becoming more specialized. The traditional mixed farms of 100 years ago have changed. Farmers use fewer man hours, but more mechanization, to produce high yields of specialized crops. A farmer today will be either a dairy farmer, or a beef and cattle farmer, or a corn farmer, or a wheat producer, instead of raising a combination of products.

Exercise 13. Look through the text “Agriculture in the USA” once again and decide if the following statements true or false:

Statements:

1. The US agriculture is known for its low productivity.

2. Advanced technology and large machinery are used for growing and harvesting crops.

3. Thanks to mechanization and modern technology the farmers cultivate large amounts of land.

4. The USA extends 3200 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

5. Various sectors produce the same agriculture products.

6. Peanuts are a major crop in Corn Belt.

7. Corn Belt is the most agriculturally productive region in the USA.

8. Livestock operations include timber production.

9. Mississippi and Southern Missouri are included in Delta region.

10. Livestock in Delta is supported by forage crops.

11. Pasture lands were improved in Delta.

12. Rice is grown in Alabama.

13. In Florida the climate is temperate.

14. Apples and cherries are cold weather fruits.

15. The Great Lakes have a moderating influence on the climate in New England.

16. The region of the Great Lakes produces enough for its own consumption only.

17. The Hawaii is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

18. Pineapples are grown in Corn Belt.

19. Beef cattle are one of the major products in Hawaii.

20. The farmers today don’t raise a combination of products.