Crop Farming

One of the most important uses of the land’s natural resources is for the production of agriculture. Agriculture plays an extremely important role in what people eat, what they wear, and where they live. People all over the world must farm, and certain parts of the world are used for growing certain crops or raising certain animals.

People have been growing crops all through their history. As they travelled from one continent to another, they took seeds with them so that they could grow food in their new country. Early settlers knew that they needed to be able to grow their own food if they wanted to live.

Today, farmers know much more about growing crops than they did then. There is a lot of science in agriculture today. Growing a better grain, fruit or vegetable means that the farmer needs to know:

1) what kind of plant will grow well in their soil,

2) how to get the soil ready for planting,

3) how to grow, harvest and store the crop,

4) how to get rid of weeds and crop pests, and

5) how to sell it once it's been grown.

Farmers today depend on science a lot. They study the soil to be sure it is right for the crops they plan to grow. A farmer tests his soil and uses chemicals to fix or add what is missing.

Crops depend on water. A good farmer grows crops that use the water that is available. A farmer won’t grow a crop that needs tons of water in a place where it never rains. He won’t plant a crop that needs to be drier on land that is marshy or doesn’t drain rainwater well.

Farmers also have to watch for pests. They are plant diseases, weeds, or insects that can ruin a crop. The farmer has to know what ruins the crop and what to do about it.

Unlike farmers in the past, most of the jobs once done by hand are now done by machines. The tractor is the most important machine. The farmer uses it to push or pull different kinds of equipment, such as a plough, a harrow for breaking up chunks of earth, or a seed drill for planting. Another important piece of farm equipment is the combine harvester, which can reap, thresh, winnow, and store grain as it cuts a path through a field of wheat. Before the combine harvester was developed, it took the effort of many people to accomplish the same tasks.