Agriculture is a major industry in the United States and the country is a net exporter of food.

History of agriculture in the USA

Corn, turkeys, tomatos, potatos, peanuts, and sunflower seeds constitute some of the major holdovers from the agricultural endowment of the Americas. “Corn” redirects here. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ...

In the U.S., farms spread from the colonies westward along with the settlers. In cooler regions, wheat was often the crop of choice when lands were newly settled, leading to a "wheat frontier" that moved westward over the course of years. Also very common in the antebellum Midwest was farming corn while raising hogs, complementing each other especially since it was difficult to get grain to market before the canals and railroads. After the "wheat frontier" had passed through an area, more diversified farms including dairy cattle generally took its place. Warmer regions saw plantings of cotton and herds of beef cattle. In the early colonial south, raising tobacco and cotton was common, especially through the use of slave labor until the Civil War. In the northeast, slaves were used in agriculture until the early 19th century. In the Midwest, slavery was prohibited by the Freedom Ordinance of 1787. Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... The Midwest is a common name for a region of the United States of America. ... “Corn” redirects here. ... Hog is a domestic or feral adult swine. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production. ... This article is about the product manufactured from Tobacco plants (Nicotiana spp. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

Soybeans were not widely cultivated in the United States until the 1950s, when soybeans began to replace oats and wheat. Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Binomial name Avena sativa Carolus Linnaeus (1753) The Oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant. ...

Significant areas of farmland were abandoned during the Great Depression and incorporated into nascent national forests. Later, "Sodbuster" and "Swampbuster" restrictions written into federal farm programs starting in the 1970s reversed a decades-long trend of habitat destruction that began in 1942 when farmers were encouraged to plant all possible land in support of the war effort. In the United States, federal programs administered through local Soil and Water Conservation Districts provide technical assistance and partial funding to farmers who wish to implement management practices to conserve soil and limit erosion. The Great Depression was a time of economic down turn, which started after the stock market crash on October 29, 1929, known as Black Tuesday. ... This article is on national forests in the United States. ... Habitat destruction is a process of land use change in which one habitat-type is removed and replaced with some other habitat-type. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ...

Major agricultural products

Satellite image of circular crop fields characteristic of center pivot irrigation in Kansas (June 2001). Healthy, growing crops are green. Corn would be growing into leafy stalks by late June. Sorghum, which resembles corn, grows more slowly and would be much smaller and therefore, possibly paler. Wheat is a brilliant gold as harvest occurs in June. Fields of brown have been recently harvested and plowed under or lie fallow for the year.

The top twenty agricultural products of the United States by value as reported by the FAO in 2003 (ranked in order of value with mass in metric tons): Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2589x2481, 1365 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Agriculture Crop rotation Center pivot irrigation Haskell County, Kansas Ogallala Aquifer Agriculture in the United States Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Image:Crops Kansas... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2589x2481, 1365 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Agriculture Crop rotation Center pivot irrigation Haskell County, Kansas Ogallala Aquifer Agriculture in the United States Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates Wikipedia:Featured picture candidates/Image:Crops Kansas... Pivot irrigation in progress. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ...

The only other crops to ever appear in the top twenty in the last 40 years were, commonly, tobacco, barley, and oats, and, rarely, peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds (in all, only 26 of the 188 crops the FAO tracks worldwide). Alfalfa and hay would both be in the top ten in 2003 if they were tracked by FAO. “Corn” redirects here. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... A glass of cows milk. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... Binomial name Solanum lycopersicum L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, commonly grown for its starchy tuber. ... It has been suggested that Veraison be merged into this article or section. ... Binomial name (L.) Osbeck Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis (syn. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Brown basmati rice Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ... Binomial name Borkh. ... Species About 30 species, see text Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are utilised as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. ... Binomial name Lactuca sativa L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Cottonseed oil is a vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the cotton plant after the cotton lint has been removed. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... This article is about the product manufactured from Tobacco plants (Nicotiana spp. ... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... Binomial name Avena sativa Carolus Linnaeus (1753) The Oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant. ... Binomial name L. This article is about the legume. ... Binomial name (Mill. ... Binomial name Helianthus annuus L. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas in the family Asteraceae, with a large flowering head (inflorescence). ... Binomial name Medicago sativa L. Subspecies subsp. ... Stacked hay in Romania Haystacks on stilts in Paddy fields, North Kanara, India Hay is dried grass or legumes cut, stored, and used for animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats and sheep. ...

Crops

Value of production

The major field crops with the value of production are:

A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ... “Corn” redirects here. ... Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... Binomial name Medicago sativa L. Subspecies subsp. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Stacked hay in Romania Haystacks on stilts in Paddy fields, North Kanara, India Hay is dried grass or legumes cut, stored, and used for animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats and sheep. ... This article is about the product manufactured from Tobacco plants (Nicotiana spp. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Brown basmati rice Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ... Species About 30 species, see text Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are utilised as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. ... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... The United States Department of Agriculture (also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA) is a United States Federal Executive Department (or Cabinet Department). ...

Note alfalfa and hay are not tracked by the FAO and the production of tobacco in the U.S. has fallen 60% between 1997 and 2003.

Yield

U.S. agriculture has a high yield relative to other countries. The yield was (in 2004):[2]

• Corn for grain, average of 160.4 bushels harvested per acre (10.07 t/ha)
• Soybean for beans, average of 42.5 bushels harvested per acre (2.86 t/ha)
• Wheat, average of 43.2 bushels harvested per acre (2.91 t/ha, was 44.2 bu/ac or 2.97 t/ha in 2003)

Livestock

The major livestock industries in the United States are:

• Dairy Cattle
• Beef Cattle
• Swine (also called hogs or pigs)
• Poultry
• Sheep

Inventories in the United States at the end of 1997 were: A dairy farm near Oxford, New York in the United States. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... For other uses, see Beef (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms The domestic pig is usually given the scientific name Sus scrofa, though some authors call it , reserving for the wild boar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Species See text. ...

• 403,000,000 chickens
• 99,500,000 cattle
• 59,900,000 hogs
• 7,600,000 sheep

Goats, horses, turkeys and bees are also raised, though in lesser quantities. Inventory data is not as readily available as for the major industries. For the three major goat-producing states (AZ, NM, and TX) there were 1,200,000 goats at the end of 2002. There were 5,300,000 horses in the United States at the end of 1998. There were 2,500,000 colonies of bees at the end of 2002. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Beekeeping, tacuinum sanitatis casanatensis (XIV century) Beekeeping (or apiculture, from Latin apis, a bee) is the practice of intentional maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. ...

Farm Type or Majority Enterprise Type

Farm type is based on which commodities are the majority crops grown on a farm. Nine common types include:

• Cash Grains includes corn, soybeans and other grains (wheat, oats, barley, sorghum), dry edible beans and peas, and rice.
• Tobacco
• Cotton
• Other Field Crops includes peanuts, potatoes, sunflowers, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, broomcorn, popcorn, sugar beets, mint, hops, seed crops, hay, silage, forage, etc. Tobacco and cotton can be included here if not in their own separate category.
• High Value Crops includes fruits, vegetables, melons, tree nuts, greenhouse and nursery crops, and horticultural specialties.
• Cattle
• Hogs
• Dairy
• Poultry and Eggs

[3] [4] [5] “Corn” redirects here. ... Binomial name Glycine max (L.) Merr. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... Binomial name Avena sativa Carolus Linnaeus (1753) The Oat (Avena sativa) is a species of cereal grain, and the seeds of this plant. ... Binomial name Hordeum vulgare L. Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a cereal grain, which serves as a major animal feed crop, with smaller amounts used for malting and in health food. ... Species About 30 species, see text Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, some of which are raised for grain and many of which are utilised as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... Binomial name Pisum sativum L. A pea is the small, edible round green bean which grows in a pod on the leguminous vine Pisum sativum, or in some cases to the immature pods. ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Brown basmati rice Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ... This article is about the product manufactured from Tobacco plants (Nicotiana spp. ... Cotton ready for harvest. ... Binomial name L. This article is about the legume. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, commonly grown for its starchy tuber. ... Binomial name Helianthus annuus L. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas in the family Asteraceae, with a large flowering head (inflorescence). ... Binomial name Ipomoea batatas L. “Camote” redirects here. ... Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native to warm temperate to tropical regions... Popcorn Popcorn or Popping Corn is a type of maize which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. ... Two sugar beets - the one on the left has been cultivated to be smoother than the traditional beet, so that it traps less soil. ... MiNT (MiNT is Now TOS) is an alternative operating system (OS) kernel for the Atari ST computer and its successors which is free software. ... Hop umbel in a Hallertau hopgarden Hops are a flower used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer, as well as in herbal medicine. ... Stacked hay in Romania Haystacks on stilts in Paddy fields, North Kanara, India Hay is dried grass or legumes cut, stored, and used for animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats and sheep. ... Silage (hay) somewhere in Allschwil or Schönenbuch, near Basel, Switzerland. ... For other uses, see Fruit (disambiguation). ... A plate of vegetables Vegetable is a culinary term which generally refers to an edible part of a plant. ... Melon is a term used for various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruits, or may specify the typically sweet-fruiting members, muskmelon and watermelon. ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Image:Walnuts. ... A greenhouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. ... A nursery is a place where plants are propagated, usually for sale as a business, though some gardeners and farmers keep private nurseries. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Hog is a domestic or feral adult swine. ... A dairy farm near Oxford, New York in the United States. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Governance

Agriculture is both a federal and a local responsibility with the United States Department of Agriculture being the federal department responsible. Agriculture is an extremely powerful interest group in American politics and has been since the founding of the USA. Government aid includes research into crop types and regional suitability as well as many kinds of subsidies, some price supports and loan programs. U.S. farmers are not subject to production quotas and some laws are different for farms compared to other workplaces. The United States Department of Agriculture (also called the Agriculture Department, or USDA) is a United States Federal Executive Department (or Cabinet Department). ...

Labor laws prohibiting children in other workplaces provide some exemptions for children working on farms with complete exemptions for children working on their family's farm. Children can also gain permits from vocational training schools or the 4-H club which allow them to do jobs they would otherwise not be permitted to do. 4-H in the United States is a youth organization in the United States administered by the Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension System with the mission of empowering youth to reach their full potential, working and learning in partnership with caring adults. ...

A large part of the U.S. farm workforce is made up of migrant and seasonal workers, many of them recent immigrants from Latin America or aliens working under work permits. Additional laws apply to these workers and their housing which is often provided by the farmer.

Employment

In 1870, half of the US population was employed in agriculture. As of 2006, less than 1% of the population is directly employed in agriculture. 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2004, of the 145 million employed workers in the US, 834,000 of them held jobs as agricultural workers. 83% of these jobs were as farm workers. The median hourly income as of May 2004 was $7.70 for farmworkers planting, growing and harvesting crops, and $8.31 for farmworkers tending to animals.[6] 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...