Agriculture 1 Flashcards
What is agriculture?
Production of plants, animals, and fibers for human use.
What are the sectors of agriculture?
Plant care, animal care, food production, soil science, power, and structure, marketing/agribusiness.
Describe some details about bovines and how they are used to feed people beef? Advantages and disadvantages of having that kind of business?
Bovines are parts of two species, they can eat grass but gain weight faster when they eat grain, the most productive beef states in the US are located where the grain belt of corn is so that feed is available. Beef is desired as a product and helps feed people, the cost of grains is a disadvantage of producing beef. The low death loss and high profits are advantages of raising beef. Bovines have a few diseases such as diarrhea, rhinotractititus and can only have one offspring a year per cow. Hefers are females with no offspring, steers are castrated males, bulls are adult males for breeding, bull calves are juvenile males. US Beef is exported to Japan, South Korea, and Mexico.
Describe some details about swine and how they are used to feed people pork? Advantages and disadvantages of having that kind of business?
Swine produce many offspring, 8-12 per mother, and can have two litters per year. The mom may crush the babies if they are not taken away from her side after birth because she is tired and heavy. Pork is more efficient at turning grain into meat, pigs have one stomach and can not eat grass so most pigs are kept inside or near a barn to help them grow faster. Pork has faster returns of profit than beef, at 10 months the initial costs may be returned, however, the smell of pig manure is offensive and pigs can not be legally kept in all places because of that. Since pigs can not sweat they must be kept cool with fans or good ventillation.
