The Farmers Markets Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
The Farmers With Radical Production Changes
By Pixie Matthews
Farming has been around for a long time. When the first prehistoric
man learned to cultivate some plants to supplement his family’s
food source, farming became a way of life. Yet for many centuries
the farmers were "on their own."
If they had a good harvest, then there would be enough crops
to sell for other basic essentials. The farmer would take his
or her produce to the local town and sell it from a booth or cart.
If the harvest was bad, then there was often not enough to last
the farmer through the long winter months.
Hardier Crops More Resistant To Diseases
The farmers today have a huge advantage over their prehistoric
ancestors. The farming industry is a major force in the world.
Food and agriculture research has led to hardier crops that are
more resistant to diseases and require fewer pesticides.
This is a huge step up from just barely having enough food to
feed your family and trying to worry about having enough to sell
at the market. Now everyone can have year round access to fresh
fruits and vegetables without worrying about paying outrageous
prices that previously only the wealthy could afford.
Larger Tracts Of Land For Farming
Rural development allowed farmers more access to larger tracts
of land. They could farm on a much larger scale in order to produce
high enough quantities of produce to help feed the rest of the
world. Farmers now have more excess crops that are sold to huge
processing plants.
The processing plants then prepare the food for distribution
to markets around the world. What may have started out as a small
garden patch on the farm blossomed into a multi-billion dollar
industry.
There are still risks for farmers such as pests or crop damage
but at least farmers no longer have to worry about starving if
they have a bad harvest. There is an inherent food security now
for everyone involved. If a country has been hit by natural disasters,
then they can receive aid from other countries during their hardship.
The USDA Ensures Food Grown On Farms Is Safe For Consumption
If there were one group to thank for the radical changes for
the farmers it would be the USDA. The United States Department
of Agriculture regularly checks to make sure that the food being
grown on farms is safe for the public. Their research and development
division has created great innovations for farmers to have more
resources and techniques for their farms.
Food and agriculture is a major factor in every person’s life
so there are times when the USDA will help farmers out if there
has been a natural disaster. This is definitely a change from
cavemen digging in the dirt with no guarantee of success.
About the Author:
Pixie Matthews has written a number of articles on gardening and
landscaping including Organic
Vegetable Gardening, Vegetable
Gardening Tips, Spring
Vegetable Gardening, Compost
For Your Vegetable Garden, Vegetable
Gardening Tricks.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles on this website.
Little Known Farming Facts....
What is organic farming?
Organic farming is a method in which farmers
raise crops and livestock using no artificial pesticides or hormones.
They utilize crop rotation in order to keep the soil healthy.
Going organic is not new. During the 50’s and 60’s there was a
movement to start eating more natural food sources and ensuring
that people were not consuming harmful pesticides that were being
heavily used at the time.
This return to the organic movement has
helped small farmers immensely. In a typical market they were
being ousted by large scale farm operations. But by raising organically
grown vegetable, fibers and animals, they can cash in on the organic
niche. They do not have to worry about owning large expanses of
land and they can charge more for their produce since it is "healthier."
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