Economic Importance of Agriculture Crops

1
Economic Importance of Agriculture Crops

• Agri-science
• Mr. Bailey

2
Table Partner Work

• Come up with as many Agricultural Crops as you
  can think of
• You have 3 minutes

3
Why are Agricultural Crops Important?

• Food
• Fiber
• Feed for livestock

4
Major Commodity Crops in Agriculture

• Grains
• Oil crops
• Sugar crops
• Citrus

• Tree fruits
• Vegetables
• Specialty crops

5
Examples of Commodity Crops

• Grain wheat, rice, corn
• Oil Crops soybeans, corn, peanuts, sunflower
  seeds
• Sugar Crops sugar cane, sugar beets
• Citrus oranges, lemons, grapefruit

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Examples of Commodity Crops

• Tree fruits apples, pears, peaches
• Vegetables
• (cool climate) broccoli, cabbage, white potatoes
• (warm climate) tomatoes, sweet corn, beans, sweet
  potatoes

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Examples of Commodity Crops

• Specialty Crop Tobacco, Cotton
• What makes these crops Specialty crops?

8
Factors Important to know when going crops.

• Climate length of growing season, average
  yearly rainfall, average temperatures, humidify,
  and prevailing winds
• Soil - consider soil pH, soil type, soil depth,
  and soil response to fertilizer
• Demand or markets available for the crop to be
  produced

9
Factors Important to know when going crops.

• Labor requirements and availability of labor
• Machinery or equipment necessary to grow the crop
• Availability of land
• Pest problems
• Expected yields
• Production costs (Can a profit be expected?)

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Locally Grown

• Corn price per bushel - 6.82
• Wheat price per bushel - 7.33
• Soybeans per bushel - 14.30
• Alfalfa Hay per ton - 195.00
• Other Hay per ton - 90.00
• Tobacco per lb. - 5.91

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Lets do the MATH!!!

• 183 bushels of corn an acre
• 100 bushels of wheat an acre
• Average 8 tons of alfalfa an acre
• Average 4 tons of timothy hay an acre

• 43,560 square feet in an acre
• 2820 lbs. per acre of tobacco
• 40 bushels of soybeans an acre

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Conclusion

• The production of field crops creates more income
  for agriculturists in the U.S. than any other
  production enterprise. Slightly more than 20 of
  the land in the U.S. is used for crop production.

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Exit Slip

• List the three reasons why crops are important?
• Name at least two commodities and give an example
  for each.
• Name one fact important in growing crops and
  explain why it is important