Idaho, The Home Of The Potato. Lindsay Davis . Ap Human

Living in both Northern and Southern Idaho all my life, it is sad to think how unaware I was of Idaho's remarkable land and history. "Idaho" by A.B. Guthrie opened my eyes and excellently portrayed Idaho as a beautiful and special place. In the beginning, Guthrie introduced the diverse landscapes that Idaho has to offer. From mountains to plains to volcanoes to glaciers, it helped paint the picture of Idaho's diverse land. In addition, I like how the author included the contrasting aspects of Northern and Southern Idaho. Showing how the North is known for the miners and loggers whereas the South is more known for the farmers and orchardists. Finally, I thought that the history Guthrie included about Idaho sealed the deal on how stunning the

In the 1620s the potato was introduced to the colony of Virginia courtesy of the British governor of the Bahamas. The potato didn’t truly spread until it received a seal of approval from Thomas Jefferson after serving them to guests at the White House (Chapman, n.d.). The potato continued it’s spread across the world and eventually became a staple part of meals (and snacks) the world over.

Potatoes became a staple in the diet of many as they were discovered around the world. They are still an important part of the diet of many today. ("International year of," 2008)

Introduced to Europe in the mid 1500s, potatoes were able to strongly impact European lives. They originally grew in Peru but spread throughout South America and later in Europe. Potatoes were able to thrive in Ireland, Scandinavia, Germany, and Poland. Potatoes were able to feed many people and improve food supply. The potato was able to supply a steady amount of calories and nutrients which was able to provide a better life for people of the Old World. Potatoes quickly spread throughout Europe and became an important crop. Today people still use the potato for food and other uses such as making stamps and soothing headaches. When growing potatoes today, many diseases can occur. Some include early and late blight, potato scab, and bacterial ring rot.

Potatoes began prospering with the Incan people in the Andes in the form of polyculture. The environment surrounding the Andes was harsh and unforgiving and where one type of potato would thrive, another would perish. The Incan people then changed their needs in order to satisfy the potato and began growing different types of each in different areas of the mountains. This method was extremely successful and resulted in massive genetic diversity for the potato. On the other hand, once potatoes were transported to Ireland, they underwent a change subject to human desires where only one type of potato was grown excessively, otherwise known as monoculture. The Irish had discovered that a single type of potato prospered in their soil and provided substantial nutritional support for the masses, resulting in the cultivation of a single genetic strand. The consequences of this endeavor would come later with the blight, but in this case, the potato had succumbed to the needs of humans. Lastly and more presently in the United States, potatoes have altogether lost their say in evolution by being grown only based on their requirement to feed the many. Certain strains of potatoes have become prevalent due to their need for food purposes, such as “perfect” French fries provided for restaurant chains. Besides

Nonprofit organizations such as Cultivate the City raise awareness of issue concerning pesticides; they are farmers who aim to feed families and communities with pesticide-free, locally-grown food. They also help people grow and develop skills and access resources to start successful and sustainable farm operations. By doing this, the organization teaches the people that there are methods that they can use to grow fruits, plants, etc. that do not put them at risk of developing any illnesses linked to pesticides. According to the Toxic Action Center, “Pesticides have been linked to a wide range of human health hazards, ranging from short-term impacts such as headaches and nausea to chronic impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption” (Toxic Action Center ). Some of these impacts can even be fatal when the exposure is higher. Cultivate the City seeks to further expand their mission .They have been currently working with schools to integrate the garden with the classroom curricula and it is a great way to get involved and educate children at a young age. This is important because 13 percent of apples, 7.5 percent of pears and 5 percent of the grapes in the US food supply expose young children eating these fruits to unsafe levels of organophosphate insecticides (Cummins 1999). According to the CTC website, “Students at JO Wilson Elementary School help

Today, three potato organizations—Simplot, Sheep Weston, and McCain—“control about 80 percent of the American market for frozen french fries, having eliminated or acquired most of their small rivals.” In spite of the fact that ranch bunches like the Potato Producers of Idaho (PGI) do their best to speak to the premiums of little agriculturists, even as those homesteads are frequently purchased up and overseen by the aggregates, Schlosser noticed that, at the season of his composition, there are just 1,100 autonomous potato agriculturists staying in Idaho, in spite of that state's dependence on the harvest as the bedrock of its economy.

As the historical legend goes: in 1744, Frederick the Great of Prussia strived to cultivate the potato in an effort to lower the price of bread and rid the nation of a severe famine. His people were quick to oppose this proposition, though, believing the vegetable was a poisonous nightshade and the spawn of the Devil (as it is not mentioned in the Bible), or at the very least, tasteless and utterly disgusting that “not even the dogs will eat them” (Chapman). At first, the king carried out his Potato Edict with an iron fist, strictly requiring every peasant in the kingdom to grow the crop in their homes. Town records even show people being executed for their civil disobedience against this decree. Seeing little progress, Frederick the Great

Frankly, one trend in the data that was noticed was that, the more common the pesticide is, the cheaper it is. However, the more chemical related it is, the more expensive, and harmful it is. For instance, Merit 75 WSP was the most expensive, and affected the environment by killing pollinators and causing plants to wilt faster. Another trend that was noticed was that grubs are most common around Summer, and Early Fall along with the fact that people have to apply the pesticides in early spring before the grubs start to feast upon the lawns. In fact, the pesticides have to be applied in early spring because that is when the grubs awaken, and start to feed again. This, then, prevents the beetles from laying more eggs, and kills off the remaining grubs.

From my research on how potatoes are graded in America, I have learned that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) established and enforce the grading. The USDA has been enforcing and updating the quality grading system for all foods since 1862. The last time the quality grading system for potatoes was updated was in June of 2011. The system in place currently grades potatoes on the following information: shape, firmness, appearance, size, color, and being free from: soft rot, wet breakdown, blackheart, freezing, blight, scabs, rhizoctonia, and physical damage or foreign matter. Although there are three grades for potatoes available for purchase due to the USDA’s grading scale, all potatoes sold in the US must fall into this scale.

New Hampshire is known for having many farms spread out throughout the state, especially in Coos County. Because of this, many bugs come to survive off of the crops that grow here. If bugs keep eating the plants, then the quality of the crop will go down. It’s not just bugs that come to live off the plants, it is also animals like deer, bears, moose, and many more. All of these pests coming to steal and eat the plants can cause the land to lose moisture and lower the quality as well. This has affected the farming community greatly. It also affects stores and the people that shop there because the animals and bugs ruin a generous amount of crops. The less plants

One concern about pesticides and herbicide usage is the amount of residues left on the end product of crops sprayed with the chemicals, and their effects on human health. (Williamson, 2007, p. 184). However, these effects are closely tested and levels are strictly regulated to ensure there is no danger from possible pesticide residues. Since 1910, many rules, regulations, and agencies have been formed to monitor the safety of the pesticides and herbicides used in conventional farming. These chemicals must meet specific safety standards in order to be registered for use, and regulations on levels of each product safe for use are also put in place. (Tafel et al.,2007, p.184). All pesticides are rigorously examined to ensure they have no significant effects on human health, or the environment. The residues in the food chain are closely monitored, and regularly tested, to ensure they are below legal limits. In a recent survey of residues

pesticides end up ruining the complete area and stripping it of the natural beauty of the land. The

The potato seems to us today to be such a staple food that it is hard to believe that it has only been accepted as edible by most of the Western world for the past 200 years. Our story begins thousands of years ago, in South America—Peru,

New farming methods came to use during late 16th century. Farmers in many parts of Europe, including Ireland, France, started to raise potatoes. A plant from the “New World”, that for a long tome was seen with a big suspiciousness. A higher rate of potato