The Importance of Agriculture

1. The Importance of Agriculture • Everyone Needs Agriculture Georgia MSAGED7-1: Students will express the importance of agriculture in daily life.

2. I Don’t Need Ag...Do I? • You only need agriculture if you... • need to eat • like to wear clothes • want to have shelter • need things to sleep on • want to have things to play on and with • use medicine, make up, or soap.

3. Do You Realize How Much You Depend on Ag for Everyday Life? • carpeting, lumber, paints, brushes, tool handles, candles • shatterproof glass, fuel, antifreeze, tires, upholstery • detergents, lubricants, solvents • paper, ink, film, packaging • sheets, pillows, sunscreen, shampoo, make up, lotions, nail polish, toothpaste, toilet paper • books, chalk, desks, crayons, pencils, paper • shoes, clothes, belts, sports equipment

4. Oh, and don’t forget about... Food! • steaks, pork chops, hamburgers, bacon, hotdogs, tacos, pot roasts, ribs, BBQ, sausage, pepperoni, ham • bread, cereal, grits, oatmeal, bagels, pancakes, waffles, muffins, fruit, eggs, cream cheese, biscuits • peanut butter, jelly, honey, syrup, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, salad dressing • milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, buttermilk • salads, vegetables, soda, tea, coffee • sugar, herbs, spices

5. Agriculture as an Industry • “Farming” is only the production part of agriculture. • Producing the food or product is only one part of the industry. • Think of all the people employed to process, package, market, and distribute the finished products.

6. Agriculture also includes: • services: provide services that are needed by the producer (ex. crop spraying, veterinary work, etc.) • processing: making the product usable for consumers (you) • packaging and distribution: getting the processed product to the consumer • marketing: promoting the product to wholesalers, retail buyers, and their customers • sales: making the product available to the consumer

7. How many steps does it take to make a single product? • The farmer grows the plants or raises the animals. • Businesses must supply materials and services to the farmers so farmers can raise the animals. • Farmers sell their crops and animals to a manufacturer to be turned into finished products. • The manufacturer processes, packages, and labels the goods. • An advertising company is hired to market the finished product to consumers so they will buy it. • The finished product is shipped by truck, train, or boat and stocked into stores around the world.

8. The Agriculture Process production processing marketing distribution

9. An Important Industry • It is the largest industry in the U.S. accounts for about one-eighth of the U.S. gross domestic product ($1.26 trillion in 2000) and employs just over one-sixth of the U.S. civilian labor force (24.1 million workers). • As of 2007, there were 2.2 million farms, covering an area of 922 million acres, an average of 418 acres per farm. • U.S. farmers produce about $100 billion worth of crops and another $100 billion worth of livestock each year.

10. Ag is a Global Market • Almost $50 billion worth of agricultural products are exported each year, helping to offset trade deficits in other sectors of the economy. • The U.S. produces almost half of the world’s corn and soybean crops. • Cotton is grown in only 17 southern states which produce over 20% of the world’s cotton with annual exports of more than $3 billion and harvesting 7.2 billion pounds of cotton each year.

11. A Better Life Through Agriculture How we produce food and live is changing through science and technology. • In-cab GPS and on-tractor sensors allow for more precise planting, spraying, and harvesting. • Fuels made from renewable resources (crops). • Crops that are need less water or can withstand frost or floods mean fewer losses for farmers. • Seafood grown in fresh water is a sustainable product that is better for the environment. • Foods that can deliver vaccines or provide a non-allergenic product.