Grow Brain Cells
This learning project is guaranteed to grow brain cells.
This project is great for everyone, however ages 12 to 100 will get the most out of it. To make it interesting, divide up the questions and break up into groups to do the research.
Goals of this learning project are:
#1.Thru utilizing statistical data and then completing the following questions, students will come away with an awareness of key trends in agriculture and see beyond the numbers to the important implications arising from these trends.
#2. Gain an ability to interpret the meaning of whole world statistics and discuss the negative or positive results of current global agricultural trends and trends in your state.
To find information for your state, go to www.google.com and use search words “usda ers (your state name)”. For example, for New Hampshire, type in “usda ers New Hampshire”. The URL that comes up for NH should be http://www.ers.usda.gov/statefacts/NH.HTM
A comparison of agricultural facts between states is available at http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census02/volume1/us/st99_2_001_001.pdf
In New England, a very helpful review was undertaken for each state. This information is available at http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/nesurvey/index.htm
For New Hampshire the URL for the PDF would be http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/nesurvey/NH.PDF
In addition to the general agricultural statistics, search for info using words such as “green”, “ornamental”, “greenhouse/nursery”, “sustainable agriculture”, etc.
1st peruse the questions and then take some time writing down the trends you see within the current agriculture system. Answer the following questions to fully understand the local and world- wide implications of your researched statistics.
Population: Is urbanization increasing or decreasing? Overall where is this seen? What % is in cities vs. in rural areas? Where are people moving to? Does this affect political influence and land policy? What about the affect on local farm markets.
Income: Where is the most income, in the city or in rural areas? Do you consider the rural income at a good level? Are rural incomes increasing or decreasing? Is there more poverty in the city or rural areas?
Employment: Where are most of the jobs? Where is the greatest unemployment? Are most agriculture jobs for people living in rural areas? Are most agriculture jobs in production of food or fiber or other commodities? (such as farm suppliers, equipment etc) WHY? Based on income, are most farms fulltime or does the operator perform off farm employment also? Do most farms have another income supplementing them?
Land area: What percentage of land area is in agriculture? Is it increasing or decreasing? Is farm size increasing or decreasing? Are most farms less than 100 acres? What percentage of land area is under protection such as conservation easements or wetland areas?
Farm methods: What percentage of farms are organic? What percentage of market income is from organic crops? What is the main agriculture crop in dollar amounts in NH? Has it changed over the last 10 years?
Owner/operators: Who owns the farm, corporation on single owners? Are NH farms generally a family owned and operated business? Is the average farmer getting older or younger? What is the ratio of women to men farmers these days? How has it changed?
Overall farm #: Is the # of farms increasing? (check USDA sources)
Farm income: Why is net farm income low? Where does the farmer’s money go? Should the food we purchase at the grocery store be more expensive?
Farm balance sheet: Does asset rich, income poor characterize most farms? How do these #’s affect new people entering the industry? Currently, how feasible is it for a person with agricultural knowledge to purchase land at current rates, start farming and make money?
Commodities: What are the main commodities and how has this changed over time? (USDA web site may be helpful)
Interview local farmers: Most farmers love the chance to share their observations and knowledge. Call your local Cooperative Extension service for a list of farms in your area. Ask the farmers questions such as: Have you seen a need to change what you grow? Do you see any new trends in customer purchasing habits? What do you think your customers most appreciate? Has this changed over the last 10 years?
Benefits of agriculture in your state: Can you come up with any benefits to having farms in your neighborhood? What would it look like if all the farms were gone? What would be there instead? If you like having farms in your neighborhood what can you do to ensure they stay there?
