You are a Part of Agriculture

Agfact #20  Agriculture is everywhere.  Farmers and Ranchers provide more items in your life than the food you eat and feed for livestock.

Agriculture products are often grouped into Food, Fiber and Fuel. However, every day you utilize items made from raw materials produced on farm or ranch. Test your knowledge.  I have gather graphics and list of non-food products from livestock and crops.  This just some of the items.

It takes all U.S. Farmers and Ranchers to produce the items you use every day. The important thing to remember is YOU are part of agriculture from the food you eat to insulation in your house to biofuel in your car.  Agriculture is important part of your life and important part of U.S. Economy.

Animal Uses beyond the plate

Everything but the Oink

Non-Products from Sheep

Wool – Clothing, yarn, blankets, carpets; Skin is used for leather, coats, triming

Lanolin – adhesive tape, printing ink, motor oils, auto lubrication, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals

Products made from Corn provide by the National Corn Growers Association

 

Non-Food Products made from Soybeans

Adhesives, Anti-corrosive agents, Anti-static agents, Asphalt emulsions, Caulking compounds, Core oils, Cleansing Materials, Cosmetics, Diesel fuel, Disinfectants, Dust control agent, Electrical insulation, Epoxies, Films for Packaging, Fungicides, Herbicides, Inks-printing, Insecticides, Leather substitutes, Linoleum backing, Metal-casting/working, Medicine, Oiled fabrics, Paints, Particle Board, Pesticides, Pigments, Plastics, Plywood, Polyesters, Protective coatings, Putty, Rubber Manufacture, Soaps/shampoo/detergents, Textiles, Texture Paints, Vinyl plastics, Waterproof cement, Wallboard, Wetting Agent.

See the Complete List

Touch of Cotton

One bale of cotton can make:

215 Jeans
249 Bed Sheets
409 Men’s Sport Shirts
690 Terry Bath Towels
765 Men’s Dress Shirts
1,217 Men’s T-Shirts
1,256 Pillowcases
2,104 Boxer Shorts
2,419 Men’s Briefs
3,085 Diapers
4,321 Mid-Calf Socks
6,436 Women’s Knit Briefs
21,960 Women’s Handkerchiefs
313,600 $100 Bills*

 

Make Room for the Turkey

The main dish at the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was the Turkey.  Although wild turkey still roam the United States today, it was probably the Pilgrims who brought tame turkeys to the new world.  Through the years, Thanksgiving dinners has always been about the Turkey.

Traditionally raising Turkeys on the farm was a seasonal adventure due to the need of temperature control for the bird’s survival. In th mid-1920s, moderation of facility with a protective environment made it possible to raise Turkeys year round.

The United States in the number one producer of Turkeys, raising 7.1 pounds valuing at $4.4 billion. Minnesota is the leading state in Turkey production.

White or Dark Meat

Did you ever wonder why the breast and wings of chickens and turkeys have white meat while the legs and thighs are dark? The explanation is   a physiological one involving the function of muscles, which gives some   insight into humans as well as animals. The dark coloration is not due   to the amount of blood in muscles but rather to a specific muscle type  and it’s ability to store oxygen.

Other Main Dishes

If you are like me the Turkey is not exactly your meat of choice.  While the Turkey is the animal protein of choice for the first Thanksgiving, it does not have to be your choice.  Ranchers across the United States produce a wide range of nutrient-rich animal proteins. My personal favorite is Certified Angus Beef but you may enjoy a roasted pork loin or lamp chops.

As you sit down around the table with your family and friends to enjoy feast of choice and count their blessings, remember to say a extra thank you for the farm families that turn natural resources into food and products every household uses daily.

 

Sweet Potato, the vegetable of choice for George Washington and Columbus

The Sweet Potato was brought to America by Columbus and his shipmates.  This vegetable became a resourceful food source in the colonial times.  On his Virginia farm, George Washington grew sweet potatoes.  Later, George Washington Carver derived over 100 different products from this sweet wonder.  In World War I the sweet potato flour was used in baked goods to stretch wheat flour.

Sweet Potatoes are actually not a relative of the Potato or Yam.  It has more starch than potato and has many similar characteristics as the yam.  In the United States the Sweet Potato is often marketed as Yam.  As result, USDA has required the “sweet potato” yam to be properly labeled.  A true yam is a starchy edible tuber that is generally imported from the Caribbean.

The Sweet Potato plant is a tropical orange-colored root vegetable the thrive in long, hot summer of the South.  It can be grown anywhere that has 150 frost-free days. On large farms, growers plant transplant in-depth of 3 inches at the end of May to early June.  The transplant requires much need rain in the first 40 days.  The ideal growing condition for the sweet potato is even rain to optimize yields.  Although it grows on a vine, the edible part of the sweet potato is the root.  Since the sweet potato is very susceptible to damage at harvest, the majority are harvested by hand-See Picture below by the North Caroline Sweet Potato Growers.

The USDA reports that the 2010 Sweet Potato Crop totaled 23.8 million Cwt and valued $478.3 million.  North Carolina leads as the top producing state at 9.7 million cwt followed by California, Mississippi, and Louisiana.  Internationally, China is the number one producer accounting for 81 percent of the global market.

The Sweet Potato is naturally rich in  Beta Carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, Fiber, and Antioxidants with a low-calorie count.  A medium sweet potato (2 inch diameter and 5 inches in length) is 100 calories with out the fixings.

Sweet Potato Harvesting

Sources:

Ag Marketing Resource Center

North Carolina Sweet Potatoes