More Than Just Farming

By Micalah B

When we think of agriculture as a general society, we tend to think farmer. We tend to think of big tractors, open fields, pigs, cows, horses and all of the other animals we associate with a farm. However, agriculture doesn't, have to mean farming, nor does it have to mean farmer.

In my Agri-Business Management (ABM) class at Michigan State University, a large part of what we talk about is the Agri-Food System. The Agri-Food System is a system that describes all of the "players" involved in getting food from the farm gates, to your table. What many of us don't realize is, all of this is part of the huge field we call agriculture.

The first two parts of the Agri-Food System refer to an agriculture input supplier, or the businesses that supply producers with things like seeds, tractors, fertilizers, and many more. The next pat then, would be the producer, or the farmers, ranchers, greenhouse keepers, etc. that actually do the growing and producing of the crops we need. These are the two parts we tend to think of most when we think of agriculture. They're the most "farmy" of the Agri-Food System players, but they're definitely not the only ones.

The next few players are the assembler, the initial processor , and the manufacturer. These are the people who, store, transport and create the products we see on our dinner tables. The producer, to start, will store, and transport raw agricultural commodities, or the crops grown by the producers, bringing them to the different initial processors. The initial processors are the firms that will then turn these commodities into usable food ingredients, selling them to manufacturers. This leaves the manufacturers as the firms that take these food ingredients, and produce a final product. Whether it's Goldfish, bread, Wheat Thins, or a microwavable dinner, it's what we, as the consumers, eat.

The last few players in the system are the wholesalers, retailers, and producers. These players are involved in the storing, selling and consuming of final products. Wholesalers are big store markets, selling to smaller store retailers like grocery stores, hotels, hospitals, etc. These retailers buy in bulk from the manufacturer, and sell in small portions to the consumers, or us.

Why is all of this relevant?

Many people overlook agriculture as a career field when they associate it with just farming, especially woman. Farmers have a reputation for long days, but unfortunately lack the world's greatest pay. It's important for people to realize that agriculture is so much more than it's stereotypical big and tough man farming. With an understanding of this, we can ensure agriculture stays a diverse and welcoming field of study with a diverse set of minds bettering it everyday.

http://itgnewblog1wallpaperblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/wholesaler_9.html

https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/topics/consumer-goods.html

Land Erosion

-Abbie

            There is an ever growing excess of issues that the agriculture world experiences daily. One that is current and will impact the industry and environment throughout the future, is the degrading of soil. Land degradation is defined as: “deterioration in the quality of land, its topsoil, vegetation, and/or water resources, caused usually by excessive or inappropriate exploitation” (business dictionary). This is an issue in terms of growing crops for us to eat with the rapid growth of our population. The US has some of the best topsoil in the world, which is why they produce so many crops are exported. Topsoil is the top six inches on the Earth’s soil. There has been found through a global survey that throughout the entire world that soil is degrading due to human life and how much we over use it.

         Some of the causes are from deforestation, pollution from fossil fuels, overgrazing with animals. The problem is we need to take care of our soil because without it we will have no vegetation. The topsoil provides nutrients for the vegetation to grow, therefore when it erodes it moves the topsoil and creates issues. Much of erosion is due to human activities in farming, logging and building houses or businesses. However, erosion is caused from wind and water as well. Another problem humans cause with soils is caused by irrigation. Irrigating fields leaves behind dissolved salts that clump and can cause plant roots to take in water. Along with this the soil takes away nutrients from the crop so it can not grow and give us sustainable vegetative cover.

         The question we have to ask ourselves is can we work to bring the soil back? We need it for life, what can we do about saving the soil? Farmers can practice better techniques, such as rotation crops and not tilling the land as much. However, if the land is extremely eroded then it is a lost cause. Humans need to use technology to better the land quality instead of ruining it. If we continue at this rate the topsoil will be forever damaged and we will not be able to recover it. Then the soil will not be able to produce crops for the ever growing world population. 

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange2/current/lectures/land_deg/land_deg.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/land-degradation.html

Prompt 6: Evaluating Sources

Prompt 6: Evaluating Sources

By: Janae S.

       Being a Physiology major in the Social Work profession there has been a long-standing argument that is still prevalent right now today that deals with the concern of social workers devoting most of their effort helping people address their individual. As well as family problems without making an effort to prevent those problems from occurring in the first.

Social work was defined itself as only a problem-solving profession, this definitely defines most of the work that social workers do. But however, that somewhat narrows the perception of social work leading to an inaccurate understanding of this profession. At times, when working with individuals many social workers become aware that issues that an individual brings to them are also the same problem experienced by many other clients. 

Not all clients issues that social workers address can be prevented from occurring. Some issues can be treated in a manner that keeps them from getting worse and worse.  At other times, clients are helped by social workers to deal with conditions that cannot be changed. Apart of a social workers job is to provide services to individuals that are facing different situations and have their clients accept their condition, adapt to its existence, and adjust to different ways of functioning.

Although it is important to help individuals and families to minimize and eliminate the effect of some problems that individuals have in their life. But its also important to prevent the problems from having such an impact in the first place. For example, when social

workers approach their work with a prevention and problem-solving mindset, they have an opportunity help and direct those with service needs.

Sources:

Morales, Armando, and Bradford W. Sheafor. Social Work: A Profession of Many Faces. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1977. Print.

Image Credits:

_87634116_thinkstockphotos-501426528.jpg
images

Forest Fires: Bad or Beneficial?

By Emily T

Forest Fires are an interesting topic. While often a they are a concern and a discussion about destruction, they can also have benefits. Many of us have heard about wildfires in the western United States due to droughts, and the problems caused by them. Some know the story of “Smokey the Bear”, who was a bear cub rescued after a forest fire was unintentionally set by a human. There is more to forest fires than many people know though.

Forest fires can have a positive effect. Wildfires can be a natural occurrence that benefit the ecosystem. Sometimes forest fires are even set intentionally by firemen and organizations such as the US Forest Service. The reason for this is because there are certain species of trees, such as the Jack Pine in central and eastern northern United States, that rely on forest fires. In order for the ecosystem in the forest to thrive, the trees need to die and then regenerate. Forest fires that are set intentionally are controlled to be smaller fires, and are sometimes called “prescribed burns”. These fires burn the debris on the forest floor, including dead branches, needles, etc., giving room and new, fertile soil for trees to grow in. Setting smaller, controlled fires can also prevent destruction by larger fires. By burning out debris from the forest floor, it is harder for large forest fires to grow and be destructive.

However, there is still debate over whether controlled fires should occur. While many have been successful, there have been instances where the fires got out of hand even when being watched by firemen. In 2012, a prescribed forest fire near Denver, Colorado turned deadly and destroyed over 27 homes. The public was furious, as many people lost their houses, and prescribed burns were suspended from Boulder County for some time after that.

The concern for forest fires goes even further with climate change, especially in the western United States. Fire seasons are becoming longer due to spring runoff occurring earlier, and summer temperatures are heating up faster and lasting longer into fall and causing the climate to become more arid. Dry climates cause more fires, and even make prescribed burns difficult to control. The other concern with climate change is that when storms, including thunderstorms, do occur, they are more severe. A major cause of natural wildfires is lightning, so if there are more severe thunderstorms, there will be more severe lightning to cause wildfires.

What can we do about the negative effects of forest fires?

While we may not be able to prevent destructive fires that occur naturally, everyone can still play a part in reducing forest fires. 9 out of 10 forest fires are caused by humans, and they are not always prescribed burns. A bonfire, a cigarette, or a match can cause a forest fire. Organizations like “Smokey Bear” are working to raise awareness about forest fires and how to prevent them from accidentally occurring.

The following link gives advice on how to be safe with fire while going camping or just by being outdoors:

http://www.smokeybear.com/be-smart-outdoors.asp

The next time you go hiking, camping, or decide to light a fire outdoors, remember to take caution and be safe! Forest fires can be a natural, and even positive occurrence. But when they are destructive, the effects can destroy wildlife and homes.

Sources:
"Colorado Holds Back on Prescribed Burns after Deadly Wildfire." NBC News. N.p., 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"Fighting Fire with Fire - National Geographic Society." Fighting Fire with Fire - National Geographic Society. N.p., 2000. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"Forests & Fire | American Forests." American Forests. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"Smokey Bear - Real Time Wildfire Map." Smokey Bear. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Staudt, Amanda, and Inkley Doug. "Global Warming and Wildfires - National Wildlife Federation." Global Warming and Wildfires - National Wildlife Federation. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Images:

"Delaware Forest Service to Hold 19th “Fire Camp” at Redden State Forest on April 26." State of Delaware News. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian." History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

"How Did Bambi Lead to the Creation of Smokey the Bear?" How Did Bambi Lead to the Creation of Smokey the Bear? N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Pollution in Agriculture

By Micalah B

Concerns on what newer, modern-day farming techniques are actually doing to our environment have surfaced in the agriculture community, making it one of agricultures biggest problems today. Agricultural pollution refers the byproducts of farming that cause contamination or degradation of the environment. This however, is a very general definition. The truth of the matter is, no single cause can be pinpointed as the leading contributor in the dilemma, but rather a series of issues creating this controversial mess.

One present-day, environmental concern in agriculture is pesticides/fertilizers. Pesticides and fertilizers have been around for a very long time, and they are a huge part of farming. Farmers use pesticides and fertilizers to protect their crops from being damaged and harmed by local pests. However, these local pests have become more resistant to the original pesticides and fertilizers, so harsher versions have been produced. These harsher pesticides and fertilizers are full of unnatural chemicals not normally found in nature. Once sprayed, much of it will be absorbed by the plants, often eaten by local animals, causing them contamination. The rest of the spray will seep into the ground, contaminating groundwater with these toxic chemicals.

Contaminated water used to irrigate crops is another source of pollution. Much of the water used for irrigation is clean, fresh water from ground reservoirs, canals, and rains. However, some of this water can be polluted, due to past, improper disposal of industrial and agricultural waste. This water is full of mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium.When crops absorb this water, they absorb the chemicals with it, causing crop failure, making the fight on agricultural pollution even more difficult.

Another modern-day problem we see in agriculture is soil erosion and sedimentation. Soil is composed of many layers, however only the top most layer can support farming and grazing. However, due to inefficient farming practices, this top soil can be left open, and the soil can be eroded away, causing a decrease in soil fertility. Eroded soil must be deposited somewhere, and in this case, it is often deposited in local streams, rivers, and ditches. This build up of soil often causes blockage, making water movement difficult, causing it to stagnate and ultimately become unusable.

Above are a few agricultural pollution problems among many that the field faces today. The pressure to find solutions for these issues has become greater, as environmental concerns become more prevalent in today's society. Agriculture is a field that cannot cease to exist, for it is what feeds the world. Because of this, a sustainable practice of it must be developed, so it does not go from being what keeps us alive, to what ultimately destroys us.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_pollution

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-agricultural-pollution.php

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-03-12/water-pollution-from-farming-is-worsening-costing-billions

http://www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions-agriculture

The Importance of Networking

-Abbie W.

This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend a conference on beef, sheep and swine care. Through this I was given the chance to hear from many different speakers in the ag industry. I also had the chance to talk with many of them in person. Some were faculty here at Michigan State, while others were producers of the different livestock. I was able to build a network with these people over the weekend that will help with job or internships in the future. In addition, I have learned so much in terms of where jobs in agriculture are going.

To start with our keynote asked us the question: “what three things will define you in 20 years?” Though this was aimed at the middle school and high school students in the room, it made me think. I will be almost forty years old at this time, where do I want to be at this time in my life, the answer scared me because I had no answer. As the keynote continued she gave examples of how our life paths will not always be the clearest to us. This made me feel a bit better but at the same time, being someone who has to have a clear plan, it frightens me. However, one point the keynote made is our population is continuing to grow at an outrageous rate. Somehow the ag industry is going to have to figure out how to feed all these people. This means jobs in the agriculture field are only going to increase and there will be the formation of new jobs. If you look back twenty years ago this was a time when the world thought the cloning of sheep or animals was the next big step in the world. Little did we know it was the creation of the internet that would gear the future generation.

Between technology and the new generation becoming a part of the agriculture world there will be many new and creative ways to feed the world. This is important because it allows for job security for those of us entering the field. With college tuition the outrageous price it is important knowing there will be job opportunities. The aspect of the job world though is that a lot of the times it is all about who you know in the industry. Therefore, it is very important to build contacts and network. That is why it is so important to get involved and be active in taking advantage in opportunities that are presented to you in the next four years.  The key is to sell yourself, as well. Through this workshop we had a leader come in and teach the elevator speech. Even though I was a committee member who had to put this on, I was advised to prepare one with the rest of the group. She also, explained to me personally the importance of having a three-minute pitch about myself along with my thirty second speech.

From this weekend I learned though these next four years may be tough and confusing at times. That is life sometimes we feel we are on a straight path to our dreams, other times we are in a full wood amongst hundreds of trees. The important aspect is to remember put yourself out there, do not burn too many bridges because you never know when these connections will come in handy.