Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming) is the art, science or practice of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. Agri is from Latin ager ("a field"), and culture is from Latin cultura, meaning "cultivation" in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. Thus a literal reading of the English word yields tillage of the soil of a field. In actual usage, Agriculture denotes a broad array of activities essential to food and material production, including all techniques for raising and processing livestock (see Animal husbandry) no less than those essential to crop planting and harvesting.

Continual improvement in agricultural methods from pre-history to the present has been the key factor in the extreme specialization of human activity during the historical epoch. Many of these specializations have nothing to do with food production, but when specialists such as scientists, inventors and mechanical and chemical engineers devote their efforts to the improvement of farming methods, resources and implements they too, along with those who work the fields and pens, are said to be "in agriculture".

42% (2002 estimate) of the world's population is employed in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation, yet it accounts for only 4.4% (2005 estimate) of the Gross World Product (an aggregate of all Gross Domestic Products).^*

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USDA Agricultural Research Service

Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:07:00 -0500
Read the magazine story to find out more. ARS researchers have been studying plant reactions to changes in C02 levels, from the Ice Age—13,000 to 18,000 B.C.—to the year 2050 A.D. by growing them in long, plastic-covered "time tunnels." Why invasive plants take over   Elevated carbon dioxide spurs shrub growth   More forage, but less filling Time-Tunneling for Climate Change Clues By Don Comis November 20, 2009 If you look closely at individual plant species' responses in the past, you may find that the largest effects of high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels occurred decades ago, according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists. That is when the botanical structure of the world's grasslands changed dramatically, offering clues to the future. For several years, Wayne Polley and Philip Fay, ecologists at the ARS Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory in Temple, Texas, have been studying plant reactions to a gradient of CO2 levels, from the Ice Age—13,000 to 18,000 B.C.—to the year 2050 A.D. Their research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture's priority of developing long-range global change strategies. The ecologists do their research with "time tunnels." These are long, plastic-covered tunnels in which tall prairie grasses are exposed to increasing levels of CO2. These tunnels are an alternative to traditional open-top outdoor chambers in which plants are exposed to only one level of CO2 per chamber. Among their recent findings is that grasses respond to higher CO2 levels by using water more efficiently. They have been measuring plant water use for four years now, ever since they modified the tunnels by placing them over steel-lined, soil-filled pits with soil-weighing lysimeters to measure soil water loss. More efficient water use by prairie grasses sounds like a good thing, but weedy shrubs and grasses also benefit from increased water use efficiency. This may help weeds outcompete desirable forage plants. But the cumulative effects of these individual species' responses on plant communities won't be obvious for years. Read more about this and other climate change research in the November/December 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency.
USDA Scientists, Colleagues Sequence Corn Genome
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:12:00 -0500
ARS computational biologist Doreen Ware and colleagues have completed a four-year effort to sequence the genome of corn. Click the image for more information about it. Corn research unlocks basis of natural diversity   Here's one a-maize-ing website   ARS produces online databases for maize, blueberries. USDA Scientists, Colleagues Sequence Corn Genome By Dennis O'Brien November 19, 2009 WASHINGTON, November 19, 2009—U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and their colleagues have completed a four-year effort to sequence the genome of corn, an achievement expected to speed up development of corn varieties that will help feed the world and meet growing demands for using this important grain crop as a biofuel and animal feed. The results represent the largest and most complex plant genome sequenced to date, and are the cover story in the November 20 issue of the journal Science. "Sequencing the corn genome will help researchers in the United States and around the world develop corn varieties to confront critical global challenges like climate change, hunger, and renewable energy," said Edward B. Knipling, administrator of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. "This effort will provide scientists a preliminary blueprint for identifying genetic pathways that will lead to a better understanding of corn and enable scientists to improve corn in a number of ways." The sequencing will help researchers uncover the relationships between corn genes and traits, develop an overall picture of the plant's genetic makeup, and broaden understanding of how the complex interplay of genetics and environment determines the plant's health and viability. The work also is expected to lead to development of corn varieties with higher yields and better tolerance of droughts, pests and diseases. It also should help scientists produce varieties with fibers, stalks and cellular structures that will make corn a better source of biofuel. The team, which included Doreen Ware, a computational biologist at the ARS Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, N.Y., has released the most comprehensive draft sequence to date, providing the most detailed look thus far at the functional portions of the corn genome. Ware led the computational effort and is a lead author of the report along with Richard Wilson of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and Patrick S. Schnable of Iowa State University at Ames. Other key participants in the project included the University of Arizona at Tucson and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, along with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, jointly funded the $29.5 million effort. Edward Buckler, an ARS geneticist at the Holley Center, and Ware also have used next generation sequencing data to assemble a haplotype genetic map of the corn genome that lays out portions of the genome shared by 27 diverse inbred lines of corn. A haplotype is a combination of alleles—alternative forms of genes—that are located closely together on the same chromosome and tend to be inherited together. The corn lines in the haplotype genetic map were selected specifically because they represent the vast majority of the genetic diversity in corn. By searching through these lines, researchers and breeders can unlock corn's genetic potential and significantly accelerate the breeding of plants to meet the demands of the growing world population and the challenges of global climate change. Buckler's "HapMap," which also is published in Science, shows a 30-fold variation in recombination rates, which are the rates that genetic material from parents mix to show up in the progeny. The map is designed to function like the human genome HapMap, making it easier to link genes and genetic patterns with significant traits, Buckler said. The researchers already are linking the HapMap to the basis of hybrid vigor. Corn, known among scientists as maize, is one of world's most important crops. Corn was a $47 billion crop in the United States last year. It is the largest production crop worldwide, providing not only food for billions of people and livestock, but also critical feedstock for production of biofuels. Ware said the work should serve as a foundation for understanding and improving on other agricultural crops as well. Plants previously sequenced include rice, sorghum, poplar, grape and Arabidopsis thaliana, a plant widely studied as a model organism.
Microwave Meter Measures Moisture and Density of In-Shell Peanuts
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:04:00 -0500
ARS scientists have developed a microwave meter that measures moisture and density of in-shell peanuts faster and easier, both important quality indicators. Image courtesy of Microsoft clipart. Online peanut warehouse ventilation calculator available   Technology improves peanut grading, moisture detection   Measuring peanuts' moisture—while still in the shell Microwave Meter Measures Moisture and Density of In-Shell Peanuts By Sharon Durham November 19, 2009 A microwave meter that instantaneously measures both moisture and density of in-shell peanuts has been developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists, making it easier and faster for producers and processors to determine these important quality indicators. Moisture content is the most important factor in peanut quality. Kernel moisture content must be less than 10.5 percent, because higher levels can lead to the growth of fungi that produce aflatoxins, which cause illness in animals and humans. The new apparatus measures density and moisture independently, eliminating an extra testing step and improving an earlier ARS technology that used radio frequencies to determine moisture content. Using the new technology, peanut graders can determine peanut kernel moisture content with only about 0.5 percent standard error. ARS engineer Samir Trabelsi and retired ARS engineer Stuart O. Nelson, in the ARS Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit at the agency's Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center in Athens, Ga., developed the microwave meter. The method is rapid, nondestructive and eliminates the need for shelling the peanut pods. In the new process, in-shell peanuts are loaded directly into the sample holder of the microwave meter, and an antenna transmits low-intensity microwaves into the peanut pods. The microwaves pass through the pods and are received by another antenna facing the transmitting antenna. Alterations in the energy level and velocity of the microwaves, as they pass through the pods, reveal moisture content in the kernels and bulk density of the peanut pods. A computer is attached to record moisture and density measurements. For moisture content determination, the new technique also eliminates the need for multiple calibrations and compensates for density and temperature. The technology has been given a provisional patent and is being tested at five peanut buying stations in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina. This research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) priority of ensuring food safety. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service Reports

Catfish Feed Deliveries
October 2009 Catfish Feed Deliveries Down 33 Percent from Last Year....
Cattle on Feed
U.S. Cattle on Feed Up 1 Percent....
Cold Storage
Frozen food stocks in refrigerated warehouses on October 31, 2009 were greater than year earlier levels for butter and cheese...
Farm Labor
Hired Workers Down 2 Percent, Wage Rates up 2 Percent From a Year Ago...
Peanut Prices
Peanut prices received by farmers for all farmer stock peanuts averaged 23.6 cents per pound for the week ending November 14...
Turkey Hatchery
Eggs in Incubators on November 1 Down 6 Percent from Last Year. Poults Hatched During October Down 5 Percent from Last Year. Net Poults Placed During October...

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