WHAT IS

AGRICULTURE?
By: Sheridan
Pawlowski

DEFINITION
The science, art, or practice of
cultivating the soil, producing crops,
and raising livestock and in varying
degrees the preparation and
marketing of the resulting products

HISTORY, CURRENT AND

FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE
Farming began around 10,000 B.C.
During the First Agricultural Revolution
Fruit farming began sometime between 6000 and 3000 B.C
Tractors changed the way farming was done
Farmers could now farm and harvest huge tracts of land
Technology
GPS
Easier to keep records

IMPORTANCE OF
AGRICULTURAL
PROFESSIONALS
Introduce and Educate the younger generation
Educate people on certain topics within Agriculture

HISTORY OF ANIMAL
PRODUCTION
Humans began taming animals more than 10,000

years ago

Beginning with dogs.

First Food Animals

Cattle
Sheep
Goats
Pigs

Horses and cattle were tamed primarily for

transportation and draft work purposes.

FUTURE OF ANIMAL
PRODUCTION
Animal Identifiability and Traceability Systems
Identification and traceability systems will emerge rapidly during the next few years
To enhance the industry's ability to respond to natural and intentional disease outbreaks, improve
food safety, and provide assurances of food quality and wholesomeness

Environmental Regulations
Markets and Competition

HISTORY OF PLANT SYSTEMS

Plant domestication occurred at different times and places
With different plant species
For different societies around the globe

In the mid-1800s Gregor Mendel postulated that genetic material

existed.
Discovered the laws of heredity
Using the pea and other plants in his garden
He studied the inheritance of such traits as flower color

A tomato was the first federally approved bioengineered food to be sold

in the United States.

FUTURE OF PLANT SYSTEMS

Demand for Resistant Varieties
Plants that provide higher yields
Require less pesticides

Targeted genome modifications in plants

Researchers can introduce new features into crop plants more efficiently by generating desired
mutations with great specificity

Making Crops More Resistant

Since 2013 a range of new features have been produced in crop plants through genome editing:

Wheat
Millet
Corn
Rice
Tomatoes
That would have been very difficult and time consuming to achieve with conventional breeding
methods

GENERAL CAREER
Requirements forREQUIREMENTS
agriculture teachers vary
Most states require at least a bachelor's degree for those wanting to
work at the middle and high school levels
Most states require teachers working in middle and high schools to
obtain a teacher's license and receive certification in agriculture teaching
Agriculture teachers who want to work on the college or professional
level might have to complete a graduate education program

LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL AND

INTERNATIONAL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN
AGRICULTURE
Agribusiness Management
Agricultural Production Specialist, Purchasing Manager, Financial Manager, Farm Owner and Manager, and
Wholesale/Retail Buyer Manufacturing Manager
Companies that hire for these positions: Seneca Food Corporation, Ralston Purina Co., Farm Bureau
Mutual Insurance, Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., and Dow Elanco

Agricultural and Natural Resources

Marketing Communications Manager, District Sales Representatives, Advertising Manager, Reporter,
Editor, and Account Manager
Companies that hire for these positions: Upjohn Co., USDA, Michigan Milk Producers Association, National
Dairy Council, and Michigan Farm Bureau

Agriscience
Agriscience Educator, Extension Educator, Farmer, and Human Resource Director
Companies that hire for these positions: Crop Production Services, John Deere, and Gerber Co.

Fisheries and Wildlife

Land Management Specialist, Water Quality Specialist, Habitat Specialist, and Fish Hatchery Manager

RESOURCES
Agriculture Council of America. (2016). Job Descriptions. InNational Ag
Day. Retrieved October 4, 2016, from
http://www.agday.org/education/careers.php
Agriculture (2016). InMerriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved October 4,
2016, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agriculture
Brown, N. (2015, April 17). Plant Domestication. InHistory Plant Breeding.
Retrieved October 7, 2016, from
http://plantbreeding.coe.uga.edu/index.php?
title=2._History_of_Plant_Breeding#Plant_Breeding_before_Mendel
DNA in Plants (n.d.). InPlant Life. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from
http://lifeofplant.blogspot.com/2011/04/dna-in-plants.html
Ftterer, D. (2016, September 9). The Future of Plant Breeding. InLogo of
ETH Zurich. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from https://www.ethz.ch/en/newsand-events/eth-news/news/2016/09/the-future-of-plant-breeding.html