Category: Agriculture

An agriculture high school involves far-reaching and high-technology studies. In fact, much of what we eat, wear and use as medicine are products of agriculture. Plant and animal biotechnology have become critical industries throughout the U.S. and abroad. Agricultural programs help students develop the necessary skills to excel in these careers.

Agricultural programs have evolved into more scientific curriculum. As the demand for crops and livestock grows, farmers and agricultural science workers will need to fill these complex positions. But, where will these workers come from and how will they be trained?

The answer lies in agriculture high school that are addressing this need and preparing students for careers in farming related fields. Their goal is to develop students with an understanding and appreciation for the many opportunities available in agriculture.

Whats the Purpose of Agricultural Education?

An agricultural education should be designed to support careers and build awareness for food, fiber and natural resource systems. This goal is especially important given the decline of people involved in agricultural production. In addition, this goal should provide a direction for educators, especially at agriculture high schools, to develop productive programs.

Developing Educational Programs for Agriculture High Schools

Updating instructional programs presents challenges for agricultural educators. With the field continually evolving and becoming more scientific, technical and business-oriented, curriculum needs to keep pace.

Therefore, educators must work with the agricultural industry they serve to properly prepare students for careers. This connection allows the instructional program to access leading edge information currently used in the industry. In addition, strong industry knowledge and understanding enhances the job prospects of students after graduation.

Today, educational content involves a vast range of topics, including agricultural science and technology, managed ecosystems for providing food and fiber, animal welfare, agribusiness marketing, global communications, public policy handling, environmental and natural resource management, food processing, safety and nutrition, forestry, horticulture, floriculture and landscape design, construction and more.

Instructors within agriculture high schools must meet these diverse educational needs to properly prepare students for careers. And, successful teaching must extend beyond sharing information. A key ingredient to successful agriculture high schools is combining formal instruction with real life applications to make learning relevant.

While educators in agriculture high schools cannot always anticipate all the changes that will take place in the future, they can focus on what the programs should accomplish for students. The focus should remain on preparing students for successful careers.

In addition, the future of agriculture lies in developing an appreciation for improving, preserving and managing the earths natural resources. Agricultural programs must be committed to advancing students understanding, knowledge and skill set.

The Future Looks Bright for Agriculture High School Programs

The study of agriculture and its related sciences continues to gain popularity on public high school campuses. As technology drives innovation, schools are seeing a renewed interest in agriculture sciences. The growing interest challenges old industry stereotypes.

The field today has broadened to include a wide range of careers from animal science to biomedical research. And, agricultural science continues to evolve as a result of ongoing technological developments.

The opportunities in the years ahead are many as agriculture high schools attract bright young people into the profession and provide an effective curriculum for them to succeed in their chosen field.

As custodians of nearly 50 per cent of Australia’s land mass, the Australian red meat and livestock industry recognises its responsibility to agricultural sustainability – sustainably managing the environment for all Australians while providing a nutritious, quality food product.

A focus on sustainable agriculture is a priority for the Australian livestock industry, with improved environmental practices having benefits for not only the environment, but also productivity. At every stage of the process from the paddock to the plate, there are opportunities for continuous improvement in environmental management and sustainable agriculture practices.

The red meat industry invests over $13 million annually in research and development to better understand the environmental impact and to further improve the environmental performance of the industry and sustainable farming.

The industry has initiated research and development into sustainable production to reduce emissions and water use, improve biodiversity, create energy efficiencies, minimise waste and implement environmentally sustainable land management practices.

In Australia, cattle and sheep are mostly grazed on large areas of semi-arid and arid rangelands.

As with all primary food production the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices is essential in ensuring that Australia is able to feed a growing population with minimal environmental impact.

Sustainable agriculture – The Australian livestock industry

Agricultural sustainability in the Australian livestock industry is best understood in the context of: – Environmental sustainability – Economic sustainability, and – The sustainability of regional communities

Ensuring the industry employs sustainable farming practices has benefits for not only producers, processors and the supply chain but for the regional and rural communities that rely on the employment and economic stimulation of the livestock industry.

To ensure economic sustainability, farmers need to sustainably manage the environment. After all, it’s the soil, grass and water on farmers’ properties that enables them to graze cattle and sheep.

Improving environmental sustainability

Over the past 10 to 15 years the livestock industry has been focused on improving its environmental sustainability. Farmers have been managing the twin challenges of environment sustainability, at the same time as striving to increase productivity in the context of a highly variable climate.

The red meat industry acknowledges that prior to this time that many practices had a negative impact on natural resources across the country. Early Australian agriculture tried to farm the country in a European manner, as a result, a range of government policies and on-farm practices led to environment degradation in some areas.

Today most farmers understand that to be sustainable they need to manage the environment in a sustainable way and employ sustainable agriculture practices.

The industry has invested significantly in research and development to ensure environmental sustainability, including: – Grazing strategies – Soil and groundcover management – Water management – Reducing emissions – Revegetating

The livestock industry is proud of the improvement it has made in sustainably managing natural resources. Right across the country the improvement in soil health, groundcover, vegetation and biodiversity can be seen on farms.

agriculture sustainability is an important topic to consider for all farms in australia. Find out more at www.redmeatgreenfacts.com.au

There are many types of fencing, but two of the most common materials from which fencing is made are iron and vinyl. While the two can accomplish similar tasks, they have very different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to know what these pros and cons are in order to choose the right type of fence for the job.

Iron fencing is not appropriate in many situations that are perfect for vinyl, and here we’ll compare the various characteristics of the two materials so that you will know which type of fence is right for the job.

Iron fencing is typically made from long iron rods that are held together with a horizontal cross bar. Vinyl fencing most often comes in the form of vertical stakes with panels of vinyl running horizontally along them, and can be reinforced with steel cables.

Iron fencing is best used in residential or commercial applications, although it is sometimes seen in public parks and other similar areas. Vinyl fencing is used most often in agricultural applications, but is also ideal for marking boundaries between parcels of land and landscaping uses.

Iron fencing is very strong, and a well made, correctly installed iron fence is almost impossible to damage. This makes it perfect for security applications, and for privacy fencing around homes or other private areas. Vinyl fencing tends to be more flimsy, but is strong enough to enclose small to medium livestock and pets.

Iron is a better solution for deterring movement, especially when trying to keep humans from crossing a line (most people will have no trouble getting through vinyl fencing).

In terms of maintenance, iron fencing is relatively resistant to the effects of weathering, but it is subject to corrosion through forces like sea air. Over time it may get rusty, although an anti-rusting agent can delay this. Vinyl fencing, on the other hand, is very resistant to weathering and will never corrode.

It will not warp in the sun or lose its color, because the color is digitally integrated into the vinyl itself. Iron is very hard to damage, but if it does need to be repaired it can be quite expensive to do so. Vinyl is relatively cheap and easy to replace, but can be damaged relatively easily by people and animals. Fortunately, it will resist most damage simply because of its elasticity and flexibility, making it perfect for holding animals.

The horticulture sector, with a wide array of crops ranging from fruits and vegetables to orchids and nuts, mushrooms and honey – has been a driving force in the stimulating a healthy growth trend in Indian agriculture. India is currently producing 257.2 million tonnes of horticulture produce from an area of 23 million ha. What is significant is that over the last decade, the area under horticulture grew by about 3.8%per annum but production rose by 7.4% per annum. Given the increasing pressure on land, the focus of growth strategy is on raising productivity by supporting high density plantations, protected cultivation, micro irrigation, quality planting material, rejuvenation of senile orchards and focus on post harvest management to ensure that farmers do not lose their produce in transit from farm gate to the consumers plate.

Fruits:

With a production of 76.4 million tonnes, fruits accounts for about 30 per cent of the total production of horticulture crops. The area under fruit crops during 2011-12 was 6.6 million ha, which is almost 29 per cent of area under horticulture in India. The area under fruit crops has increased from 4.0 million ha in 201-02 to 6.7 million ha in 2011-12 with corresponding increase in production from 43.0 to 76.4 million tonnes. A large variety of fruits are grown in India. Of these, banana, mango, citrus, papaya, guava, grape, sapota, pomegranate, pineapple, aonla, litchi, pear, plum, walnut, etc are important. India accounts for 13 percent of the total world production of fruits and leads the world in the production of mango, banana, papaya, sapota, pomegranate, acid lime and aonla.

The leading fruit growing states are Maharashtra which accounts for 16.0 per cent of production followed by Andhra Pradesh (13.0%), Gujarat (10.0%), Karnataka (9.0%), Uttar Pradesh (8.0%), Tamil Nadu (7.0%) and Bihar (5.0%) altogether contributes for about 68.0 percent of the total fruit production in the country. Banana is the major fruit accounting for 35 per cent of total production followed by mango (4.0%), citrus (11.0%), papaya (6.0%), others (17.7%) in the country. It may also be mentioned that in the Himalayan states of Himachal and J&K the GDP from apples, plums, pears and stone fruits exceeds that of GDP from cereal crops.

Vegetables:

Vegetables are also an important constituent in horticulture sector which are mostly low gestation and high income generating crops. Many vegetables are now grown under protected cultivation like green houses and shade nut houses with a scope for off season production, which fetches remunerative prices.
Vegetables occupied an area of 8.9 million ha during 2011-12 with a total production of 155.9 million tonnes having average productivity of 17.4 tonnes/ha.

Vegetable production registered a quantum jump of 77 per cent between 2001-02 and 2011-12.

More than 40 kinds of vegetables belonging to different groups are grown in India in tropical, sub tropical and temperate regions. Important vegetable crops grown in the country are potato, tomato, onion, brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, okra, chilies, beans, melons, etc. The leading vegetables growing states are West Bengal which accounts for 15% of production followed by Uttar Pradesh (12%), Bihar (10.0%), Andhra Pradesh (8.0%), Madhya Pradesh (6.5%), Gujarat (6.4%), Tamil Nadu (5.8%), Maharashtra (5.7%), Karnataka (5.0%) and Haryana (3.0%) altogether contributes about 83.4% of the total vegetable production in the country. Among vegetables, potato is the major vegetable accounting for 27.0% followed by tomato (12%), onion (11.0%), brinjal (8.0%), cabbage (5.4%), cauliflower (4.7%), okra (4.0%), peas (2.5%) and others (25.4%) in the country. India is the second largest producer of vegetables after China and is a leader in production of vegetables like peas and okra. Besides, India occupies the second position in production of brinjal, cabbage, cauliflower and onion and third in potato and tomato in the world. Vegetables such as potato, tomato, okra and cucurbits are produced abundantly in the country.

Spices:

India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices and spice products in the world. Over 100 plant species are known to yield spices and spice products among which around 50 are grown in India. India is known as the home of spices producing a wide variety of spices like black pepper, chilies, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cardamom and variety of tree and seed spices. Major spice producing states are Andhra Pradesh (19.0%), Gujarat (15.0%), Rajasthan (14.7%), Karnataka (8.0%), Madhya Pradesh (7.7%) and Tamil Nadu (7.0%). The spice production in India is currently estimated at 5.95 million tonnes from an area of about 3.21milion ha.

The production of spices in the country has registered a substantial increase over the last ten years with average annual growth of 5.8%. Chili is the major spice crop occupying about 25% of area under cultivation and contributing 22% of total spice production in the country. Garlic accounts for 8.0% of area with 21.0% share in production, while turmeric accounts for 6.8% of area with 19.6% share in production.

Flowers:

India has made noticeable advance in the production of flowers, particularly cut flowers, which have a good potential for exports. During 2011-12, floriculture covered an area of 0.32 million ha with a production of 2.6 million tonnes of loose flowers and 75066 million numbers of cut flowers. This sector is generating higher income and employment opportunities especially for women.

While India has been known for growing traditional flowers such as jasmine, marigold, chrysanthemum, tuberose and aster, the commercial cultivation of cut flowers like roses, orchids, gladiolus, carnation, gerbera, anthurium and lilium has become popular in recent times. The important flower growing states are West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, North East, etc. Major area is devoted to production of marigold, jasmine, roses, chrysanthemum, tuberose, etc. The area under cut flowers having stems has increased manifold. Orchids, anthurium, lilium, gerbera and seasonal bulbous flowers are increasingly being grown both for domestic and export markets.
Growth in Exports:

Not only have these impressive production figures ensured a steady supply for the domestic market, they have also made Indian horticulture exports globally competitive. Over the last decade, there has been a significant improvement in export earnings in horticulture.
The horticulture division is working closely with APEDA and state governments to ensure that infrastructure and institutional support for export is available to ensure that farmers can leverage export markets for higher incomes.

In the recent years, India has put up an impressive growth performance at the agricultural front, almost 30% as per the latest report. Thanks, to the public and private sector investments flowing in at a continuous pace.

Agriculture is Indian economys mainstay and it comprises 18.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

In the last two years agriculture and its allied sectors have registered a noteworthy growth rate of 4% as opposed to the average annual growth rate of 2.5% during the 10th Five-Year plan.

The current thrust on the Agricultural Sector has been mainly possible due to sizeable number of initiatives adopted in the recent years. Say, for instance, public sector investment in the farm sector has grown from 1.8% in 2000-01 to 3.5% in 2006-07, private sector investment has increased from 8.9% in 2003-04 to 9.9% in 2006-07.

According to a report, agri-biotech sector in India has been growing at a mind-blowing rate of 30% since the last five years, and it is likely to maintain this growth rate in the future. The report further adds that agriculture biotech in India has immense growth opportunities and the country could become a forerunner in the production of transgenic rice and several other genetically engineered vegetables by 2010.

The food processing sector, which is considered to the prime driver of the Indian Economy, is currently growing at 13.5% as opposed to 6.5% in 2003-04.

Production

Riding on the back of agro-climatic conditions and rich natural resource base, India, today has become the worlds largest producer of numerous commodities,

The country is the leading producer of coconuts, mangoes, milk, bananas, dairy products, ginger, turmeric, cashew nuts, pulses and black pepper. Further, it is also the second largest producer of rice, wheat, sugar, cotton, fruits and vegetables.

According to the report of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), crop production is estimated to increase by 1.7 per cent during FY 10. Foodgrain production is projected to rise by 1.1 per cent. Of which, wheat production may remain at the same level of 80-million tonnes as estimated for FY 09. Rice production may swell by 1.1 per cent to 98.8-million tonnes. Manufacturing of coarse cereals and pulses is also expected to rise in FY 10.

Also, India is the second-largest producer of cotton. The yield may rise 10% to about 32 million sales in 2009-10. Cotton output in 2008-09 is being pegged at 29 million bales, as per the projections by state-owned Cotton Advisory Board.

Indias coffee yield is estimated to touch at 3.1 lakh tonne in 2009-2010, 4.4% higher compared to 2008-09, according to the Coffee Board.

Exports

According to APEDA- government’s agri-trade promotion body- India’s Agricultural and processed food products clocked a 38 per cent increase in the 200708 fiscal, on the back of increased shipments of coarse cereals like maize, jowar and barley. According to official report, India exported 17.5 million tonnes worth of agricultural and processed foods valued at US$ 6.39 billion in FY 200708 as opposed to 10.9 million tonnes in the previous year.

APEDA believes that exports will grow further due to growing demand from Asian and African markets that are vigorously obtaining rather cheaper Products from emerging markets like India.

Today, 70 per cent of the countrys agricultural and processed foods exports are send to developing countries in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America.

Investments

* India may shell out US$ 14.05 million for the development of organic spices by 2012, specially turmeric, chilli, and ginger.

* Monsanto Company is planning to spend US$ 9.8 million to set up scholars program to support research and production of rice and wheat, through plant breeding techniques.

* DuPont has taken over Nandi seeds for US$ 8.3 million.

* To cultivate drought hit areas of the Telangana region, the Andhra Pradesh government has approved US$ 773.68 million for the Pranahita-Chevella Lift Irrigation Scheme to be made functional here.

* Tata Chemicals will be setting up a manufacturing plant for customised fertilisers at Babrala in Uttar Pradesh. The company is planning to invest US$ 10.02 million in this facility which is having a production capacity of 20 tonne per hour.

Government Initiatives

Few of the initiatives taken by the government to speed up growth include:

* The government has given approval for 60 Agricultural Export Zones (AEZs).

* The National Food Security Mission aspires to enhance the production of rice, wheat and pulses by 10 million tonnes, 8 million tonnes and 2 million tonnes, respectively by the end of the 11th Plan.

* The Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana was introduced in 2007. Under this scheme the States will be offered US$ 5.01 billion over the 11th Plan period for investment in various projects.

* Agro and allied sectors have been allowed 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) via the automatic route.

Road ahead

With the governments special focus on this sector, the agriculture segment is all set to play a more proactive role in the economy.

In the 200910 budgets, the government has initiated various steps to support the growth of this sector in order to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains.

Agriculture credit may probably touch US$ 67.14 billion for the year 2009-10. In 2008-09 agriculture credit flow was at US$ 59.3 billion.