The Agriculture Industry In Australia Since 1970's

Modern day farming has transformed from the farming process of last century. Instead of farmers producing for their families, farmers are now similar to input/output managers supplying massive manufacturers that feed the country.

In the article The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race Jared Diamond argues that switching to agriculture was a mistake, and that hunting and gathering came with less consequences. Hunting and gathering may be better to not spread as much disease and not as such of a risk of malnutrition, but the population now is too big to switch back. To keep a constantly growing population agriculture should not change.

The records of the last census taken todays population is approximately 7 billion. To put it into perspective of the amount of work farmers take into hand the average farmer feeds 155 people one their own. (“Comparing Agriculture of the Past to Today”) . Notice that a census is only taken on the people of the world, but farmers and their operations are not separately accounted for. “It is impossible to calculate the exact number of farms and farmers in the United States.” (Conkin 147). Of course farmers do not use the simplistic technology of the past to achieve these high expectations. Farms implement the use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to improve crop production. The GPS is a system that uses satellite signals to find the location of a radio receiver. (“The Science and Technology of Agriculture”) Using biotechnology has also became an interesting subject of big time farmers. This is the changing of genetic material if living things to improve the production of the product. An example of a GMO would be crops that have been modified to be resistant to disease. Disease resistant crops are one of the most widely used in the field of GMO’s. (“The Science and Technology of Agriculture”).

Since the beginning of human development humans have been revolving around agriculture. It is known that, “Archaeologists and palaeontologists have traced the origins of farming to around 10,000 years ago” (Mason). This is truly remarkable to believe that the revolution as a whole may pivot on this period so long ago. Once this happened agriculture began popping up all around the ancient world spreading like wildfire. This planting of crops and domestication of animals allowed people to develop specialization because not everyone had to forage anymore. This allowed

This effort to make land available to the new rural classes proved a failure however. The government's and the selectors' knowledge of agriculture, shaped by the European experience, proved largely to be inapplicable to Australia .. 16

Following this food production in Australia will be discussed and the effects this has had on the land.

With the ever increasing population, in 50 years we will have to greatly increase our production. I picture this as multi-level fields. Almost like a parking garage, but minus all the concrete and add dirt. This fields would be farmed by fully automatic tractors and machines, there will be no farmers only owners of the machines and fields. The crops will also be genetically modified to grow to extremely large heights.

Many people who relied on their farm and on agriculture struggled in the 1980’s. WWII was the fire that lit the Farm Crisis of the 1980’s. WWII brought forth many new advances in all aspects of agriculture. New farm equipment, pesticides, seeds, and fertilizers made it easier for the everyday life of a farmer. Greater efficiency and productivity were the result of the new inventions. In the 1950’s and 1960’s there was a massive

Throughout time, humans have pushed forward in every aspect in life in order to improve their living standards, wealth and most importantly the agricultural sector which is the base of every human race. Food is the basic requirement for any individual to stay alive and healthy. In an article by Tamsin McMahon, she states that over the past 60 years, the world population has grown from 2.5 billion to 7 billion while world hunger dropped from 40% down to 15% (McMahon T., July 2012). This shows that our agricultural advances through technology have helped control world hunger and decrease it by more than half, but this is a short-term solution if we want to consider the future generations that depend on our current actions toward the three main pillars of agriculture which are: Health and nutrition, Economy and sustainability all while considering the local small farms and corporate farms.

Food Inc. Documentary Report Fatter, Faster, Bigger and Cheaper Fatter, faster, bigger and cheaper seems to be the way the food industry operates in America today. The Food Inc. documentary shed a short light on how our food is processed and how our image of the “American farmer” is no more than a memory. The film really made you think about what we are feeding our families. Throughout this movie Kenner highlights on how are meat is processed, and let me just say I was disgusted. I am a hunter and I have never had a problem killing my animal and butchering it myself, but as I watched how cows were standing in their own fecal matter three to four feet deep I about vomited, I thought to myself ‘ why is this not considered animal cruelty?’

Human societies since the beginning of time have probably committed more land to Agricultural production than for any other purpose. Demand for land especially for Agricultural production in many parts of the globe is on the increase. Studies have revealed that the rise in demand for food to feed the world’s teaming population, the increased demand for agricultural output to produce alternative energy, high agricultural product prices are amount other factors that have caused a surge in the demand for agricultural land globally.

As of December 31st, 2014, the population of the United States was estimated to be over 320 million with a net gain of one person every 13 seconds (U.S. Census Bureau). In the year 2011, the world population reached 7 billion and is currently predicted to reach 9 billion by the year 2050 (Monsanto). In order to meet the expected needs of our growing population, agriculture production will need to at least double (Monsanto). Agriculture is essential to everyone’s daily lives. This raises many concerns for agriculturists and for our growing population as a whole. With the population of the United States continuously growing, space is also becoming more limited. Therefore, agriculturists are having to find new, innovative ways to produce

The agriculture field is one of the biggest employers, employing over 155 million people in the United States. What do you think about when you hear the word “agriculture?” Many people would say farming, but this is not the most common occupation in this field. Farmers make up a fraction of the agricultural jobs at 900,000, but over 2.1 million people own, rent, and claim farming as a primary source of income. The average farm size has dropped from 460 acres in 1990 to 418 acres in 2007, while the average age of this occupation rose to 57, making this one of the older workforces in the United States.

Since agricultural production began in the neolithic revolution, there have been many advancements to improve the farming industry. However, the farming industry has seen a steady decline in its contribution to the US economy as it is a very time consuming and labor intensive endeavor. Since the cultivation of produce is essential to supporting the world’s populace, researchers, scientists, and engineers have been developing new farming strategies and technologies to revitalize the farming industry. Implementing new ideas will be important for the future success of production. The formation of agriculture began with these technological advancements almost 12,500 years ago.

     Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity rose due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. These changes allowed fewer farmers with reduced labour demands to produce the majority of the food and fibre.