Evolution of Agriculture/Animal Welfare

Benefit of Agriculture to Humans

Safe Food Source

North Great Plains

• Wheat, cattle, sheep farms.

Basin and Range

• Cattle, wheat, and sorghum farms.

Fruitful Rim

Fruit, vegetable, nursery, and cotton farms

Prairie Gateway

• Cattle, wheat, sorghum, cotton, and rice farms.

Mississippi Portal

• Cotton, rice, poultry, and hog farms.

Southern Seaboard

• Part-time cattle, general field crop, and poultry farms

Eastern Uplands

• Part-time cattle, tobacco, and poultry farms.

Northern Crescent

• Dairy, general crop, and cash grain farms.

Heartland

• Cash grain and cattle farms

Florida Commodities

Oranges, Sugarcane, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Sweet Corn, Watermelon, Grapefruit

Cotton Gin (1793)

A machine for cleaning the seeds from cotton fibers, invented by Eli Whitney

Steam Engine (1765)

Crops could be shipped everywhere

Cast Iron Plow (1797)

Breaking up soil and cutting furrows before planting

Gasoline Tractor (1892)

Could be driven forwards and backwards, made farming easier

Insulin (Biotechnology)

1st Genetically Engineered Product to Help Consumers

Animal Rights

The belief that animals have rights similar to humans and should not be used in research

Animal Welfare

Belief that animals should be treated well and that their comfort and well-being should be considered in their production

Animal Cruelty

Socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or distress to and/or death of an an

How many people can one farmer feed?

About 160

What percent of the American workforce is **employed** by agriculture?

15%

Compared to other countries, **people in the USA pay larger? smaller? portion of our income for food**.

**Smaller** (less than 10%).

What are some of the main animal rights organizations?

PETA, ASPCA, The Humane Society, Farm Sanctuary, Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM), United Poultry Concerns (UPC),

Refrigerated Boxcar

This invention changed the beef cattle industry in 1880s by allowing meat to be transported farther without spoiling.

Barbed Wire

Invented by Joseph Glidden in 1874 and allowed for cattle to be fenced in on the Great Plains without using too much lumber

Reaper

**Cyrus McCormick** developed this machine to harvest grain in 1831. Replaced the manual cutting of the crop with scythes and sickles.

Thresher

A machine that separates grains and seeds from the stalk of the plant (like corn or wheat).

Combine/Combine harvester

Invented by James Oliver, a machine that both harvests crop and separates out green or seed (like corn, wheat...) for transport.

Steel Plow

Invented by John Deere in 1837.