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Commercial Agriculture

Commercial agriculture is the production of consumable agricultural products and commodities for wholesale and retail distribution to consumers and markets. Alameda County has a rich agricultural heritage and continues to contribute greatly to California's 30 billion dollar agricultural industry. Today, Alameda County's agricultural production is dominated by three main commodities: nursery products, livestock, and grapes for wine production. A number of other agricultural commodities are also produced in Alameda County including field and vegetable crops, cut flowers, apiary products, and fruit and nut crops. (Select current and past years crop statistics.) Despite continuing growth and development in urban portions of Alameda County in recent decades, much of the county's agricultural production is secure and growing, particularly in the nursery and viticultural industries, and also in the production of certain fruit and vegetable crops, organic products, and products for Farmers' Markets.

CoSHH and the Agricultural Industry

There are a number of hazardous substances in the agricultural industry which can be detrimental to a worker’s health and safety.

Such substances include: 

Dusts from plants, animals and compost materials

Pesticides and feed additives              

Silage making products

Fertilisers

Animal diseases

Vehicle exhaust fumes.

Pesticides are a particular hazard to human health and will be examined more closely in this article. Unlike industrial chemicals, pesticides are developed solely for their ability to act on living tissues. The purpose of them is to protect plants by killing and deterring insects and animals which can spoil crops. Pesticides may include fungicides, herbicides (weedkillers), insecticides or bird and animal repellents. Everyone involved in the agricultural industry must store and transport pesticides with great care.

CoSHH law imposes strict regulations governing the use of pesticides. It requires employers to carry out CoSHH risk assessments to examine and control the hazards associated with pesticides by eliminating exposure to them, controlling any necessary exposure and monitoring the health of those who use pesticides.

It is very difficult to eliminate all exposure, thus employers should try and look for an alternative substance to use. Alternately, employers should look at using pesticides in a safer manner. For example, it may be possible to replace a powdered pesticide with a less dangerous liquid equivalent.

There must be controls in place if an employee is exposed to pesticides. Good ventilation is crucial, as are sufficient washing facilities and the use of personal protective equipment (gloves, masks etc).

 Workers should be given adequate training and current information on the product. Part of the training process for the use of pesticides should include reading the product’s label for instructions on usage. Cheap alternative pesticides should not be used. Officially approved pesticides will have a DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) or HSE (Health and Safety Executive) number on the label.

Health surveillance is also part of CoSHH legislation. Workers health needs to be monitored if they are using pesticides.

The transportation of pesticides is another key area for consideration. Pesticides should never be transported on self-propelled equipment or in a tractor. They should however, be stored in a locked container and carried on the outside of a vehicle. The container needs to be leak proof and have an identification label on the exterior.

There are also strict guidelines covering the disposal of pesticides. There are a number of Codes of Practice and Guidance in place to help employers meet their obligations.

Dale Allen delivers CoSHH compliance as one of the UK’s leading compliance authorities. Find out more about how you can use his online COSHH365 CoSHH assessment tool to produce compliant CoSHH assessments with the benefits of a managed Safety Data Sheet library.

The Irish Agricultural Industry by Aoise Keogan Nooshabadi

Agriculture, without doubt, is a key catalyst and drive behind both the economic and social sectors in Ireland. Ireland’s mild weather and rich soil content allows Ireland to devote 6.9 million hectares for agricultural purposes, employing over 10% of the Irish workforce. Although exportation is not wholly relied on, when we take into account the reduction of importation costs, the agri-food sector reports over 25% of net foreign earnings. It is thus clear that agriculture in Ireland holds incredible importance and without such emphasis placed upon it, Ireland would lack culturally, socially and of course economically.

Ireland over the years, although moving towards industrialized developments, has held fast to its connection with the farming industry. This is most likely due to the parallel development of Ireland's exporting farm produce. In contrast to this, other countries may produce only enough in order to be self-sufficient, yet still there are some in Europe that will import needed food. This is not to say that the Irish are consistent in their levels of agricultural involvement. A detrimental drop occurred in the percentage of those that work in the agri-sector, in 1926 the impressive 53% saw a decline in 1990 to just under 13.5%. It is also difficult for Ireland to compete with those farms around the world that produce at a much larger scale, if we can compare that of a sheep farm in New Zealand and a farm in Ireland, averaging at 73 acres. These small farms are incredibly vital to Irish agriculture, as with not many large contractors, Ireland relies on these low sized farms as a driving force. This doesn’t mean that Ireland is in somewhat lacking, it is accountable for over 28% of exports in forest and fishery exports, second to Denmark who sits at 34.3%.

When we take into account all the land in Ireland used for agricultural purposes, it amounts to an impressive 61.36% of total Irish land mass. Ireland all together is a total of seven million hectares, when we take into account that a total of 4.2 million out of that is devoted to agriculture it is not surprising when we hear of over 134,500 family owned farms in the country.

Ireland’s agriculture is above all a grass-based industry. Beef and dairy produce is one of the largest exports that Ireland offers, accounting for just off 60% of Irish outputs. In 2002, Ireland sent out over 445,000 tonnes of beef adding up to €1,185 million in worth. Also in 2002, 126,000 cattle were exported live from Ireland which was also worth an impressive €70 million. This is just some evidence of the cattle farming’s worth and back up to Ireland being the biggest EU exporter of beef, and up near the top of the largest of the world. Not only the beef but the Irish dairy farms in 2008, produced over 5,437 million litres of milk, only 472 million of these were as sold as liquid, the rest was placed into the production of other dairy products. Sheep are also at large in Ireland, counting up to over 9.1 million, cattle are mainly kept inside, whilst sheep are let out, until the intensive lambing season. In 2009, over 47,850 tonnes of sheep meat was exported which was worth just under €167 million, most of these outputs going to both Britain and France. Pig farming is not as widely common as it raked in €325.6 million last year, yet it is surprisingly successful in the small amounts it presents itself. At present, there are over 1.5 million pigs, in the EU continental market Irish pig meat accounts to 34% whilst the remaining 17% go internationally.

A favourable climate allows Ireland to grow grass very well; this is because of Ireland’s long periods of rainfall and reasonable temperatures which result in good, moist soil. On the contrary, tillage crops need a phase of dryness to allow seed-bed preparation, seed sowing and also then there is some additional needed time for the ripening and harvesting of the crop. Due to these necessary conditions, tillage is mainly in the east, south-east and south of the country. Crops include barley, wheat, oats, potatoes and horticultural crops. Barley is mainly grown for animal-feed accounting for over 75%, whilst the remaining 25% goes towards malting. This crop allows Ireland to be 60% self-sufficient when it comes to animal feed. Wheat and oats on the other hand, are not only used for animal feed, but also for human use, more so oats on the human scale than wheat. Ireland has been known around the world to be one of the largest consumers of the potato crop, it is largely useful that Ireland is self-sufficient in this area. The horticultural sector has seen to have grown over the last 20 years, it is mainly focused on crops such as field vegetables, mushrooms and tomatoes, alongside other protected crops. Although very little of Irish agricultural land is devoted to the horticultural sector, it seems to be a worth-while and of considerable worth.

Currently about 0.40 million ha of Ireland is under forest, this accounts to just of 5% of Ireland’s total land mass. This is the lowest in Europe, and considering that the majority of our cultivated forest-land has only been planted since 1901. A past project in 2005, saw the planting of more forests placed an additional 9%, totaling at just over 14%. This is a great improvement, yet Ireland is still ranked the lowest forested country in the EU. Considering the climate, Ireland has done quite well. Forests in Ireland are mainly harvested and are condensed to the mountainous and hilly areas. 95% are conifers and are mainly state-owned. The lack of forestry involvement could be due to the over-harvesting of seen in the 17th-19th century, with no re-planting. Since this, Ireland has seen to adapt its land therefore to a more livestock based production, almost cutting out forestry to some extent.

Ireland also has a strong aquaculture sector. Although Ireland has suffered over-fishing in the last 15 years, there is a stronger and stricter management policy imposed to the Irish waterways dealing with freshwater salmon and sea trout. Ireland in the past has also traditionally been reliant on its peat extraction. Historically, it has been incredibly beneficial to the Irish economy, but that since has depleted as bogs are now more environmentally preserved and more efficient fuels have taken its place.

Agriculture Industry Development Program

Mission Statement

The Agricultural outreach program coordinates with the agribusiness industry to evaluate issues of concern and to facilitate communication and problem resolution related to County government agencies. It is also responsible to initiate and assist with efforts to create a business atmosphere that is conducive to the continuation and expansion of agricultural businesses within Hillsborough County for the benefit of all its residents. The Hillsborough County Agriculture Industry Development Program is a component of the Hillsborough County Economic Development Department. The program works under the guidance of a council, the Agriculture Economic Development Council, comprised of agribusiness, local chambers of commerce, government, industry, and business leaders. The purpose of the Agriculture Industry Development Program is to initiate and assist with efforts to create a business atmosphere that is conducive to the continuation and expansion of agricultural businesses within Hillsborough County for the benefit of all its residents. The major goals of the Agriculture Industry Development Program are: To discourage the premature conversion of productive farmland to non-agricultural use. Minimize the impact of the regulatory process on agriculture's ability to conduct business, while still achieving the goals of those regulations. Improve the economic sustainability of agriculture in Hillsborough County through increased marketing options, alternative crops, value-added processing, capital financing opportunities, and identification of other barriers to the expansion or sustainability of agriculture. Promote the expansion and relocation of agribusiness firms in Hillsborough County.

Future Uncertain for Kentucky Tobacco Farmers

As a native Kentuckian and someone who grew up around farming, I take a keen interest in the fate of our farms. Kentucky’s agricultural industry, long dependent on tobacco, has changed dramatically in the last 11 years. The number of farms growing burley tobacco has reduced by nearly 90% since 1997. Most of these are small, family-run operations and this has radically changed the face of Kentucky’s farming culture.

As a product, I am tempted to dislike tobacco because it has killed so many people. But as a part of our culture here, it is hard as a Kentuckian to not drive by a healthy tobacco field and not feel a certain amount of pride. And I’m not even a grower. Imagine how hard that choice would be for a 3rd or 4th generation tobacco farmer?

Kentucky’s geography made tobacco a perfect fit when growing first began over 200 years ago. The lack of large open prairie meant that farmers could not hope to profit off crops that require a huge yield in order to pay off. They needed a crop that would have a high-dollar value per acre. Tobacco was the crop that enabled them to tend small farms and still make a decent living.

After the tobacco settlements of the 1990′s and the buyout plans offered by the federal government, the return on a few acres of tobacco were no longer enough to support a family. The choice became one of growing more, diversification, or leaving the industry completely. Kentucky farmers have done all three.

Agricultural Industry Grain Elevator Morse Saskatchewan

The agricultural industry throughout the town of Morse in Saskatchewan, Canada plays an important role in the economy and a large grain elevator like this keeps the town alive and booming.

A bright, orange structure seen for miles across the prairie landscape in the town of Morse, Saskatchewan is an important part of the agricultural industry flourishing here. This modern day grain elevator has large, circular cylinders to hold the grain which is emptied into the cars with Canadian Pacific Railway. From here, the grain is transported to many large ocean ports like Vancouver, Churchill and Thunder Bay.

To keep the agricultural industry alive in the town of Morse, Saskatchewan, farmers must update their grain elevators to keep up with the current pace of life. The cylinder shaped inland terminals make the entire grain industry work at a much faster pace.

Many of the prairie provinces, Saskatchewan being one of the main ones, keeps the supply of grain flowing as it travels in railway cars the length of the track running from Vancouver to Montreal.

Grain Elevator in the town of Morse, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The History and Changes in Agriculture 2

Cultivated land is continually being lost to urban and industrial use. China accounts for 20% of the world's population but only 7% of the arable farmland. Moreover, the population is growing while the land is shrinking.

Meanwhile, the Chinese diet is changing. Recent years have seen an increase in variety and greater consumption of highter-priced products. More meat, more imports, more western fast foods, more high-value foods. Allowed greater leeway, farms are shifting from producing grains to more profitable commodities like cotton, fruits, vegetables, and dairy and meat products.

All these changes have contributed to China's increasing dependence on food imports. To promote self-sufficiency, the central government continues to purchases 75% of domestic grain production, and keep massive grain reserves. 

Additional pressure comes from stipulations relating to China's entry into the WTO, which expose the agricultural industry to greater foreign competition. Utilization of land area is not neraly as efficient in China as is developed countries which rely much more heavily on employment of mechanization, chemicals and genetic engineering.

The Chinese authorities have required a system of certification for all genetically modified products introduced into the market, but their use is increasing.

Other areas needing development span the industry. Mechanized tools such as tractors, combines and processing equipment are still lacking, although Heilongjiang in China's far northeast reports agricultural mechanization already on par with developed nations. With the exception of the Northeast, vast expanses of flat farmland are rarely found in China; planters are often forced to raise crops in small plots on whatever nooks and crannies and available, demanding a higher amount of manpower and limiting the use of efficient mechanized methods. Still, under these conditions, greater possibilities exist for mixed cropping, which can reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers. 

 Irrigation and water pollution are also major issues. Generally speaking, Northern China tends to be plagued by drought while many southern regions are susceptible to floods. Channeling of water and flood management through construction of dams and canals has already been successful and can be further implemented on a larger scale.

Tatura Milk Industries

Tatura Milk Industries Ltd is a co-operative dairy company with close links to the dairy farmers that hold shares in the company. These links and reliance on the agricultural industry have led to a strong focus on reducing water use and water recycling.

Tatura Milk is supplied by approximately 330 dairy farms and processes approximately 450 million litres of milk each year. As a dairy processor, Tatura Milk must comply with various national and international food safety guidelines and standards. Many of these have requirements for the use of drinking water to ensure food safety is maintained during the manufacturing process.

Tatura Milk uses drinking water in the rehydration of ingredients, ultra-filtration plants, and for flushing product out of lines at the completion of a batch. It is also used for services that are part of the manufacturing process, such as chilled water for the refrigeration plant, and steam and hot water for the boiler. Water is also used for cleaning in place, whereby after 24 to 48 hours of production the whole plant is cleaned with water.

During 2005-2006, Tatura Milk used 997 million litres of town water, and recycled an estimated 130 million litres. Most of this water was discharged as trade waste to Goulburn Valley Water’s Tatura Waste Management Plant, where it is treated and used to irrigate pasture.

A Smart Water Fund grant was used to install a collection, monitoring and distribution system for pump seal water, so that the water could be re-used via the existing condensate distribution systems.

Tatura Milk installed a water capture and return distribution system to collect and transfer pump seal water to other onsite reuse applications, such as cooling towers and cleaning in place equipment:

• In the manufacturing process, water is pumped through pipes to create a seal. This water previously went down the drain as trade waste but is now pumped back into the condenser.
• Vacuum pumps use water for cooling. Now after use the hot water is pumped into the cooler and then reused in the vacuum pumps.

The system captures seal and cooling water from 33 pumps, nine vacuum pumps, three mechanical vapour recompressors and one homogeniser.

The water saving initiative installed by Tatura Milk achieved better results than predicted due to a better recovery of seal water. Total town water savings are 41.69 ML per year and trade waste discharge savings are 115.2 ML per year.

Scientists predict agricultural brain drain

Australia is set to lose up to half of its agricultural science and business professionals in the next five years, industry leaders have warned.

As scientists predict the dawn of a new agricultural revolution, up to 50 per cent of the industry's professionals are approaching retirement age.

Employers say they are already losing some of their most senior staff and in some cases have been forced to bring in staff from overseas to address the skills shortage.

Professor Jim Pratley, the secretary of the Australian Council of Deans of Agriculture, says coupled with declining university enrolments, the loss of senior agricultural professionals means Australia is seeing a brain drain when it is needed most.

"A generation is coming to the end of their working life and there's a bit of a gap there in terms of their successors," he said.

"That gap's pretty wide in terms of the availability of replacements. For example I know a number of universities have been trying to employ lecturers in agronomy and it's really, really hard to find people who are suitable."

Earlier this month in a speech to the ABARE Outlook Conference, CSIRO board member and former primary industries minister John Kerin highlighted an urgent need to address this "very alarming situation".

"Government agricultural agencies are being cut down, agricultural research and development is lessening, agricultural education is slimming down quite rapidly at tertiary level and physical infrastructure is being under-invested," he said.

"This is at a time when we are facing unprecedented agricultural production and environmental challenges."

Professor Pratley says the state and federal agricultural agencies agree that a massive loss of senior professionals is a potential scenario for the industry.

When contacted by the ABC the Federal Department for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and several state agencies said they were aware of the projection and had funding, grants and graduate programs in place to address the situation.

Business reality

It is a situation already being felt by businesses.

Ruth Trench-Thiedeman is the people and performance manager at Landmark, one of Australia's largest agribusiness companies.

She says the outlook for a huge drop in agricultural professionals is a concern for the industry.

"We have these problems really on a day-to-day basis and they're caused by a number of factors," she said.

"We're worried about it. We have many people who are on the brink of retirement age. That's a concern for us. We also have turnover that's higher than we would like as well which means we're always looking to find new people in various roles."

Ms Trench-Thiedeman says there is a loss of experience when senior staff retire that cannot be filled by graduates.

"There's a huge a loss of intellectual property and just that experience. While we have a graduate intake you can't buy the experience at one end with the graduates coming at the other end. It's something that has to be developed up," she said.

"One of the issues we have is that our customers become very attached to those people who've got the experience and who can just answer their questions and provide solutions to their problems really quickly."

She says Landmark has already been forced to employ agronomists from overseas because the expertise has not been available in Australia.

But she says looking overseas for employees is impossible in some cases because of the unique profile of some of Australia's agricultural areas.

Ms Trench-Thiedman says all businesses in the industry are struggling to hold onto experienced staff.

"The issue is more around how do you keep the good people in the business? Then you've got the issues like increasing salaries or providing incentives for people either around performance or actually staying in the business for a period of time," she said.

"You have to be awfully careful though because each time you increase the salary you're actually making it more unaffordable for everybody in the rural space.

"We've found that with the mining industry. They were offering huge salaries for apparently quite minor sorts of jobs. We had a number of people move in Western Australia and Queensland, moving over to various mining companies on salaries that we couldn't possibly compete with. Double their salaries. We couldn't possibly compete with that."

The CSIRO has warned that as population growth and climate change challenge food sustainability, scientific research in agriculture will be needed more than ever.

But Ms Trench-Thiedman says many of the specialist agriscientists needed to develop and implement new technologies may not be around.

"When you look at the technology of the future, you're going to need really specialised people," she said.

"You won't be able to grow people to do that. You're going to have to have people who are specially trained to really understand and interpret all the data.

"This is where you've got satellites actually mapping the pastures and showing you where the water is and what crops are growing where and giving all that sort of information that's coming in, where is it best to grow what crop."

Graduate decline

Meanwhile, Professor Pratley has also been researching the sharp decline agricultural graduates.

He says there are less than 800 graduates each year to fill the more than 2,000 agricultural jobs available to them.

Future Farmer's Network chairman James Caracoussis says he is not surprised by the latest outlook for the agricultural workforce.

But Mr Caracoussis says if the projections were to come true, Australia would be in a lot of trouble.

He says filling the gap with overseas workers could be an option.

"When you look at especially say Asia, India, South America, they're just going crazy in terms that their agricultural industries are growing massively and China's probably a bit of a sleeping giant," he said.

"So I'm not sure if migrant workers would be the quick fix or the solution. You could possibly toss a coin as to whether it's the solution or whether it happens."

Professor Pratley says agriculture loses many graduates to other industries.

"We're probably losing them even out of the industry to other areas because people who are trained in agriculture can almost do anything," he said.

"They've got very strong levels of multi-skilling and so people who do an agricultural degree are actually very employable even outside the industry."

He says another worrying trend is that many jobs for agricultural graduates are based on what is called "soft money".

"These days they are on what we call soft money, which is the money that the funding bodies provide and those tend to have three or four-year funding cycles," he said.

"So they go into a job with only a three-year time horizon before they actually have to then find the next lot of money and that cycle continues.

"So we see quite an attrition of people who have started off in agricultural research, but head off to other places with a much more long-term tenure."

Mr Kerin says this situation has made post graduates in agriculture "scarcer than hen's teeth". He blames the image of agriculture and community ignorance.

Professor Pratley agrees there has been a negative perception of the industry.

"There's been a perception for quite a while that perhaps there are no jobs in agriculture, that the jobs aren't that exciting, that the pay rates aren't good enough and you perhaps don't need educated people in the industry," he said.

"But when we got the data together on this, the picture is actually quite different. It's almost a reverse.

"There are a huge number of jobs out there and the industry desperately needs people with qualifications who take up what's a really demanding and exciting profession."

Agriculture Industry India

Agricultural sector is the mainstay of the rural Indian economy around, which the socio-economic privileges and deprivations revolve, and any change in its structure is expected to have a corresponding impact on the existing pattern of social equality. The growth of India's agriculture sector during the 50 years of independence remain impressive at 2.7 % per annum. About two-third of this production growth is aided by gains in crop productivity. The need based strategies adopted since independence and intensified after mid – sixties primarily focused on feeding the growing population and making the country self reliant in food production.

Indian agriculture has attained an impressive growth in the production of food grains that has increased around four times during the planned area of development from 51 million tons in 1950-51 to 199.1 million tonnes in 1997-98. The growth has been really striking since sixties after the production and wide spread usage of high yielding varieties of seed, fertilization, pesticides, especially in assured irrigated areas. 

Chemical Industry Exporter History

Over the 10,000 years since agriculture began to be developed, peoples across the world have discovered the food value of wild plants and animals and domesticated and bred them. Primary importance of these are cereals such as rice, wheat, barley, corn, and rye; sugarcane and sugar beets; meat animals such as sheep, cattle, goats, and pigs or swine; poultry such as chickens, ducks, and turkeys; and products like milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, and oils. Fruits, vegetables, and olives are also an important category of agriculture products; feed grains for animals include field corn, soybeans, and sorghum. Modern agriculture in India primarily depends on engineering and technology and on the physical and biological sciences. Irrigation, drainage, conservation and sanitation, each of these stages are essential in successful farming, and require specialized knowledge and expert skills of agricultural engineers. 

Mechanization, the spectacular characteristic of late 19th and 20th-century agriculture, has eased much of the backbreaking toil of the farmers. More importantly, mechanization has considerably increased the farm efficiency and productivity.  

Overview of Indian Agriculture Market History

In several agricultural sectors, India is the world’s leading or one of the largest producers. For example, the country is second largest milk producing country in the world. India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry, logging and fishing accounted for 18% of the GDP in 2007, employed 70% of the total workforce and despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, is still the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of India. Yields per unit area of all crops have grown since 1950, due to the special emphasis placed on agriculture in the five-year plans and steady improvements in irrigation, technology, application of modern agricultural practices and provision of agricultural credit and subsidies since Green revolution in India. However, international comparisons reveal that the average yield in India is generally 30% to 50% of the highest average yield in the world.

Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket. It produces 14% of India's cotton, 20% of India's wheat, and 9% of India's rice.

According to recent studies, the total turnover of Indian food market is approximately Rs.250000 crores (US $ 69.4 billion), out of which, the share of value-added food products is around Rs.80000 crores (US $ 22.2 billion). The Government of India has also sanctioned proposals for joint ventures, foreign collaborations, industrial licenses and 100% export oriented units conceiving of an investment of Rs.19100 crores (US $ 4.80 billion) out of which foreign investment is over Rs. 9100 crores (US $ 18.2 Billion).

The Indian agricultural food industry also assumes significance owing to country's sizable agrarian economy that accounts for over 35% of GDP and employs around 65 % of the population. Both in terms of number of joint- ventures / foreign collaborations and foreign investment, the consumer food segment has the top priority. The other salient features of the Indian agro industry, which have the capacity to lure foreigners with assuring benefits are the aqua culture, deep sea fishing, milk and milk products, meat and poultry segments.

Agriculture Careers

Agriculture in the USA is one of the oldest industries and is also among the world’s largest and most productive sectors.  Agriculture industry is a huge one and includes production of most types of food, like milk, vegetables, meat etc.

Agricultural industry is a huge industry, and there are a number of options available in this sector.  You can become a part of the Agriculture industry even without any formal training and education.  However, many jobs in this industry like those of farm managers do require some pre-requisite qualifications.

Broadly agricultural industry can be divided into two types, the animal production section and the crop production section.  Depending on the path you have chosen, there are many types of agricultural jobs available.  They can be categorized into the following types: Livestock Farmer, Cattle Rancher, Crop Farmer and Farm Managers.

The job description of agriculture careers varies depending on the path you have chosen.  If you choose crop production, then the busiest times would be during crop sowing and harvesting.  Though agricultural industry is now largely mechanized, constant supervision and follow-ups are required.  The work patterns also depend on the location, as topography plays a vital role in the crop production.

If you choose to be associated with poultry and dairy farms then the job involves different kind of planning and work.  These jobs involve round the year work schedules.

Most people in this industry are self-employed, and the responsibilities involved in these careers mostly do not follow the standard 40 hour work week.  Most agricultural jobs require you to put in long working hours and sometimes, you may have to work on weekends and holidays depending on the work-patterns.

Careers in agriculture can be very demanding.  You should be able to cope with physically strenuous schedules.  However, on the bright side, working outdoors and seeing tangible results of your labor can be very fulfilling.  Most people who choose agriculture careers have either lived on farms before or have a love for the outdoors.

Hebei's agricultural industry

Using market forces, Hebei province continues to adjust its organization for planting and agricultural management. The proportion of efficient production has expanded each year to ensure a competitive industry.

One of China's major grain producing areas, Heibei's main agricultural products include wheat, maize, millet, sorghum and cash crops such as cotton, peanuts, soy beans and sesame.

The area under cultivation in the province totals about 6.7 million hectares, which produce about 25 million tons of farm products annually. With the development of domestic and foreign markets, a high-quality food processing industry is developing rapidly.

Agriculture Commodities in the Mid Atlantic

• Broilers - Broiler operations began in the 1930’s as a separate industry that operated year round as opposed to previous operations producing seasonal “spring chickens.”  Due to all the improvements made to the broiler industry, chicken consumption in the United States surpassed pork consumption in 1985 and beef consumption in 1992.  The impacts from the broiler industry are readily seen in Region 3 states.  Maryland and Delaware are the leading producers of broilers in the region.  Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia are among the top 15 states in the nation in broiler production.  Also, Pennsylvania is one of the largest egg producing states. In 2006, Pennsylvania ranked third in egg production with a total value of 238.4 million. In addition to broilers and layers, Region 3 also produces turkeys.  The Commonwealth of Virginia is the third leading national producer of turkeys with over 21 million.  In addition, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are among the top 20 states producing turkeys.  Rockingham County in Virginia is the leading county in the United States with over 13.7 million turkeys.  On the regional scale, Virginia produces over 57% of the region’s turkeys, followed by Pennsylvania with over 31%, West Virginia with 9.5%, and Maryland with 2%.
  
• Crops - In addition to livestock and poultry operations, the Mid-Atlantic Region is also noted for its crop production diversity.  There are a variety of traditional crops grown in the region such as corn, wheat, barley, soybeans, oats, rye and mushrooms.  Other crops that are cultivated and harvested in the region are sorghum, cotton, tobacco, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, vegetables and fruits such as cherries, apples, grapes, peaches, and pears. Other crops include ornamental plants, nursery/greenhouse crops, and Christmas trees.  Barley production in the region is led by Pennsylvania and Maryland.  Soybeans for beans are grown in each Mid-Atlantic region state.  Pennsylvania is the top producer of soybeans with over 37%.  Oats for grain are primarily grown by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with over 92% of the region’s oats.  Rye in the region is solely produced by Pennsylvania with more than 7.9 million bushels annually. Pennsylvania leads the United States in mushroom production, with an annual production of more than 496 million pounds between 2007 and 2008. Mushroom production in Pennsylvania accounts for over 62% of all U.S. mushroom production.

• Dairy -  The dairy industry is commonly associated with the Mid-Atlantic region states.  On a national level, Pennsylvania ranks fifth in dairy production.  In the region, Pennsylvania produces over 77% of the region’s dairy cows.  In addition to dairy cows, beef cows are also produced.  Virginia produces 63% of the region’s beef cows.

• Hogs and Pigs - The hogs and pigs industry as a national industry has remained relatively stable over the last century.  In recent years, since the mid 1980’s, the pork industry has started to increase production.  In terms of national leaders in pork production, Pennsylvania ranks 12th and Virginia ranks 15th nationwide.  The pork industry is also another predominant agricultural industry in the Mid-Atlantic Region.  The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania produces over 73% of the region’s hogs and pigs.  Virginia follows with 23%, Maryland with 2%, Delaware with 26% and West Virginia with 0.6% of hogs and pigs produced in the region.

The rise of agriculture and Indonesia’s future

Long regarded by many as one of the least profitable industries, the agricultural industry has been attracting greater attention from the global business community in recent days.

This is good news for countries such as Indonesia, where most of the population still makes a living in the agricultural sector and there are still large tracts of land that can be developed into farmland.

Agricultural commodities were among the first to recover from the impacts of the global financial meltdown. While other commodities, such as oil, coal and the majority of minerals are still struggling to reach pre-crisis levels, most agricultural commodities have seen their prices consistently increase since last year, and some have even hit prices not seen in decades.

The price of rubber has hit its highest level in decades thanks to surging demand for tires in Asian markets such as India, China and Indonesia, where car sales have hit record highs.

Meanwhile, the price of wheat has sharply increased, first triggered by heat waves in Russia and floods in Pakistan. The rise in price of wheat was followed by those of corn, soybean and rice. Since palm oil is a substitute for soy oil, the rise in the latter’s price has in effect pushed the price of palm oil higher.

Analysts generally agree that the prices have increased due to strong fundamentals. They believe that the prices of agricultural commodities will still be strong or even stronger in the coming decades, thanks in the short term to the rising demand from rapidly growing economies such as China and India and, in the long term, to the growth of the world’s population and increased wealth in developing countries.

As Indians and Chinese have become richer thanks to decades-long high economic growth in their countries, they now not only eat rice or wheat, but also more meat. To meet the growing demand for meat, the world needs to raise more poultry and cattle, which in turn requires more corn and soybean for feed.

Agricultural commodities are consumed not only as food nowadays, but are also used to produce fuels. The growing demand for energy has and will add pressure on the production of agricultural commodities. Experts have projected the population of the world to rise from 6 billion to 9 billion over the next 40 years. This means the increasing trend in demands for agricultural commodities is a long-term one and, thus, promises huge profit for businesspeople. For the first time perhaps in decades, agriculture is seen now by many as a business that is as profitable as other industries.

Companies from the Middle East, China and South Korea, India, Europe and the United States have been hunting for farmland around the globe for several years.

According to a report, between 51 million and 63 million hectares of land (about the size of Sumatra and Java combined) in 27 African countries have been acquired or are in the process of being acquired by foreign investors. They have also acquired millions of hectares of land in South America (particularly Brazil) and Cambodia.

The recent announcement by energy giant Royal Dutch Shell about its planned huge investment in the sugarcane business in Brazil has further underlined the rising value of agriculture.

The Dutch-British firm will set up a US$12 billion joint venture with Brazilian biofuel giant Cosan to produce biofuels from sugarcane.

Indonesia is one of the countries targeted by foreign investors. The Forestry Ministry recently announced that a group of South Korean investors have acquired more than 430,000 hectares of degraded forest areas where they plan to grow crops for bioenergy production. Investors from the Middle East and China have also launched study tours here to look for land for acquisition.

A tropical country, Indonesia has abundant sunshine and rain, which are the basic needs of any agricultural business. Most internationally traded commodities grow well in Indonesia. In fact, it is now the world’s largest producer of palm oil, and the world’s leading producer of coffee, rubber and cocoa. Moreover, Indonesia still has vast tracts of lands that remain idle, including 40 million hectares of degraded forest areas that have turned into grasslands after being abandoned by logging concessionaires.

One of the countries that has successfully developed its agricultural industry is Brazil, also a tropical country. Now called an agricultural superpower, Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef, poultry, sugarcane and ethanol and a leading producer of soybean, rice and corn. Agriculture is the main force behind the fast economic growth that has brought the nation into the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) elite club.

Indonesia has the potential to emulate Brazil. What we need to do is learn from Brazil. The nation welcomes foreign investors into its agricultural sector as it realizes that land needs investment and application of technology in order to produce maximum yields. Millions of hectares of farmland in Brazil are now controlled by foreign investors.

It is not easy to implement the Brazilian way here as populist politicians keep calling on the government to distribute degraded forestry areas to small farmers rather than to big investors. We have to keep in mind however that a 10,000-hectare plot of farmland will produce a greater yield, and thus provide more revenue to the government, if it is managed by an investor who has an efficient organization and is financially capable of procuring the best technology rather than 10,000 farmers who eke out a living cultivating their small plots of land.

The challenge for Indonesia is how to strike a balance in which private investors can control huge tracts of land and develop them in partnership with small farmers.

Software for Agriculture

According to the ABS, of all industries the agricultural industry contains the fourth largest number of small businesses. Evidence shows that small and medium businesses (SMBs / SMEs) are the economy’s lifeblood. They make up over 99.7% of all businesses, employ half the total workforce and account for the vast majority of new jobs created in the past decade. This makes the agricultural industry highly significant in the economic picture of countries in the Western World.

What if we could boost the productivity of all farm- and agriculture-related small businesses worldwide? This is a significant number of small businesses, which would have a massive impact on all economies. Imagine if farmers could speed up time-consuming or repetitive tasks, get better insights into their businesses and improve sales through better paddock management, tracking livestock movements, managing milk production, handling purchases and sales, tracking inventory and the like. This would allow them to reduce scarce resources by avoiding unnecessary spend through lack of visibility of their operations.

Well, the good news is you can! By finding the right software, your business can achieve a dramatic improvement in its performance. And that’s good for everyone…

Types of agricultural software

There are a vast number of software alternatives open to companies in the agricultural industry. These range from software products used in farming; to weather station software used for rainfall monitoring; to climate assessment software; to software used in the feed manufacturing. Just within farming alone, there are software products for livestock management- cattle, dairy, sheep, horses, pigs, goats, alpacas; software used in the horticulture industry- crop and feed management, vegetables, grapes, avocados, fruit orchards, nuts, turf, flowers, nurseries; software products used in the supply of goods to farmers; and software for farm produce distributors. 

It is also useful to distinguish standalone or separate software (more often used by small business) from solutions that integrate a range of modules into a combined software package. In addition, one can separate online / web based applications from packaged software products installed on your own PC / server.

Popular types of agricultural software include:

• Livestock recordkeeping software
• Crop recordkeeping software
• Farm accounting software
• Land / field mapping software
• Farm planning software
• Weather software
• Feed management software
• Plant and equipment management software
• Fisheries and aquaculture software
• Quality management software
• Precision farming software
• Produce distribution management software
• Supply chain management (SCM) software
• ... and many others

Why use agricultural software?

The best way to think about software is in terms of your business objectives. Business must lead technology, not the other way around.  What are the most important activities in your business? What are the challenges and frustrations you face in these areas? Where are the opportunities to improve your speed, cost, and quality? 

If these questions are difficult to answer, due to the fact that you don’t have the visibility that you require of your business operations, then you should seriously consider investigating software alternatives that will provide you with the necessary tools to manage your business. It may be that you are finding it impossible to manage an increasing number of cattle grazing in your fields. Or that you are not able to budget for your fertiliser purchases over the coming year.

The right software helps your business by improving the quality and flow of information, which in turn boosts both efficiency and effectiveness.  Software can give you a better picture of where your money is going, how productive your livestock are, the expiry date of chemical inventories, and many other such insights. And it helps this information flow quickly to where it is needed.

Which agricultural software is right for me?

Regardless of your industry, size, or specific situation there is almost certainly a product out there that’s right for you. The challenge is finding that ideal choice amongst the tens of thousands of software packages on the market.

That’s where Software Shortlist comes in. We aim to help you find the right software for your business.

1. Review packs: Purchase independent reviews of popular software types, including accounting, timesheets, livestock management, and email marketing.

2. Directory: Browse our extensive software directory for free and explore your options

3. Online comparisons: Take a free, online assessment of your needs and be automatically matched with relevant solutions

4. Get A Shortlist: Free referral service that matches you with a shortlist of relevant providers. Simply submit your requirements and then, after a short telephone call to clarify any details, we use our extensive knowledge and networks to connect you with quality solutions that meet your requirements.

The Demand Gap Will Expand This Year

Domestic cotton production is expected to fall 7 million tons this year’s, cotton production and demand gap will expand.

 In 2009, the domestic cotton production is expected to decline, at 700 million tons, with the gradual improvement in exports of textile production, cotton production and demand gap has been expanded; Meanwhile, cotton prices in general will be higher than the previous year, but a large number of listing a number of new cotton the main producing areas are still downward pressure on prices.

It is understood that this year’s cotton pre-Miao Qing in general is better, but in late August to early September the Yangtze River basin consecutive disastrous weather, some impact on the growth of cotton. Ministry of Agriculture, the latest survey data show, this year’s cotton acreage of about 7592 acres, down about 1,000 mu, a reduction of over 10%.

National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Xiaoqiang, deputy director said, at present, the national cotton crop is growing basically the same as the previous year, if the recent weather conditions are normal, and strengthen the latter part of management, is expected to have a good harvest, the national cotton output is expected to 700 million tons. From the National Bureau of Statistics data show that in 2008, national cotton acreage 8640 acres, down 240 million mu; cotton output of 7.5 million tons, up has decreased by 12 million tons.

Prices, Zhang Xiaoqiang said that from the look throughout the year, due to cut production of cotton, cotton production and demand gap in the expansion of cotton farmers a higher price expectations, cotton prices in general are expected to be higher than the previous year. However, after the listing of large concentrations of new cotton, the domestic market, cotton prices are still downward pressure, especially in the higher concentration of Xinjiang’s cotton market, downward pressure on cotton prices higher.

Zhang Xiaoqiang said that the next step, the National Development and Reform Commission will further strengthen macro-control and maintain the basic stability of cotton prices and the market running smoothly. On the one hand, do a good job of cotton reserves control plans. If a large number of new cotton market fell over when the cotton price, timely manner through open bidding part of the cotton purchasing and storage. Such as market cotton prices rose too quickly, then throw in time savings, stable cotton prices to ensure the needs of textile and cotton.

At the meeting, reporters learned at the same time, from next year, the government will intensify efforts to promote small packet of cotton and its processing enterprises out of the market. From September 2010, the railway authorities to stop packets of cotton transport, the Agricultural Development Bank to stop providing loans to small packets of cotton processing enterprises, cancel cotton packet processing of cotton processing enterprises eligible.

Past Farming Initiatives

Agricultural Policies from the Central Government at Westminster and the European Community have influenced Snowdonia’s farmers over the years. Grants in the past were available per head of sheep grazed on the hills, which led to overgrazing and a decrease in the species habitat that exist here. It became clear to the Agriculture Section that this type of farming was against the aims of National Parks and that, if they were to ‘conserve and enhance’ the area, new environmentally-based schemes were needed.

The "TIR CYMEN" Initiative

This is a whole farm conservation voluntary scheme, which was initially introduced to three areas namely Dinefwr and Gower in South Wales and Meirionnydd in North Wales by the Countryside Council for Wales. The scheme was first implemented in 1992.

In Meirionnydd, the scheme was / is administered by the National Park's Agriculture Section on behalf of the Countryside Council for Wales.

The expression "Tir Cymen" has no exact English equivalent but it conveys the idea of "a well composed landscape". The initiative involved a new experimental scheme aimed at countryside conservation in Wales. It offered farmers annual payments in return for:-

1. Preservation of Habitats: by reducing the stocking levels on heather moors, marshland, planting trees and fencing them in to prevent grazing of new shoots. Also included preservation of archaeological / historical sites.
2. Capital Works: mending stone walls, farm buildings, and grants for new wooden gates / styles.

The Countryside Council for Wales introduced Tir Cymen as a market-based approach to the management of farmland. The Council believes that the farmer should be paid for looking after the countryside in much the same way as he is paid for normal agricultural produce. By doing this the Council recognises the increasing economic pressure on the farmer and at the same time recognises the contribution the farmer's skills and experience can make to conservation work. In order to conserve the countryside people must continue to live and farm there.

A Tir Cymen agreement lasts for ten years and is now nearing the need of its life. A payment for reducing the number of stock on certain habitats such as moor land and unimproved pasture was quite the opposite to the encouragement given to farmers for many years, but was in accord with the demand for a reduction in agricultural production on a European scale. The strategy aimed to ensure that if there is a need to reduce output then that should happen where it offers the greatest benefit for conservation.

A Summary of the Tir Cymen Code

Safeguard

• stone walls, slate fences, hedges, earth banks
• Archaeological and geological features
• Traditional stone built features
• Weatherproof traditional stone buildings

Tidy up unsightly farm rubbish.

Look after your trees.

Manage watercourses and wetland for wildlife.

Consult your Tir Cymen Officer if you intend to do work which could change the landscape or wildlife habitats of the farm.

The scheme was important to the general public, bearing in mind the growing interest in conservation matters - especially amongst young people. It was very important for the agricultural industry, since it brings new money into the industry, and gives clear recognition to the farmer's central role in conservation.

Agricultural Science Programmes

At Mount Albert Grammar the agriculture programme is structured especially to meet the modern needs of the agriculture industry and market. The agriculture course develops fundamental agricultural skills and principles, in a practical context. Experience on the Mount Albert Grammar School Farm is an essential aspect of the programme. 

 The specialised course of study gives all students an insight into the work of the farming sector and develops basic agricultural skills and principles in a practical context.

Aspects of soil science, animal husbandry, agronomy, fencing, vehicle skills, farm management, marketing, feed management, animal handling, animal welfare, livestock health, integrated pest management are incorporated into the programme to provide a well rounded curriculum.

Qualification

The agricultural programme offered at Mount Albert Grammar School enables students to gain the National Certificate in Agriculture (Level 2) - Introductory Farming Skills. This is a National Qualifications Framework (NFQ) qualification, which is regulated by the Agricultural Industry Training Organisation*, (Agriculture ITO).


The Certificate in Agriculture provides a general background to agriculture, with core subjects in animal production, plant production, engineering, soil science integrated with the principles of management and farming systems. Students also have the opportunity to develop applied computing skills and problem solving.

The qualification is made up of small packages called unit standards. The unit standards include a mixture of knowledge and practical skills and each has a level and a credit value. Unit standards at higher levels describe advanced skills and understanding. The National Certificate in Agriculture, (Level 2), requires students to achieve 70 credits of which at least 40 must be at level 2 or above. The unit standards are divided into several sections or domains. Within some domains there are a minimum number of credits a student must achieve to qualify.

Each unit standard is made up of elements with performance criteria. The Agricultural ITO has divided the elements into those that are practical and can be assessed on the farm, and those that are theoretical and can be assessed in the classroom.

Each student will have their own personal Record Card, allowing them to monitor their progress as they achieve each unit standard and work their way towards achieving the qualification.

Mount Albert Grammar School Agriculture Department is strongly supported by, and has strong links and affiliations with the primary industry and the Agriculture ITO.

Practical Assessment
Practical Work is an industry initiative detailed in conjunction with Mount Albert Grammar School Agriculture Department for the National Certificate in Agriculture. It is viewed as an integral aspect of each student's course of study and provides for experiences in a broad range of careers and farming practices. Practical Work is closely linked to the theory in the academic study programme. Along with the academic requirements, practical work is a legal requirement of the National Certificate in Agriculture.

Practical Work can be undertaken on the Mount Albert Grammar School Farm. In additionally students are billeted on commercial farms with farming families where they are involved in the day-to-day decision-making and practices on the property. All farmers involved in the practical training of students are experienced and able to help students with concepts associated with the assignments for Practical Work.
Students are offered a variety of farms to be billeted on. These include dairy, sheep, sheep and beef, crop, deer and agriforestry. Farms are available in all regions of New Zealand affording students a wide diversity of experiences.

The Practical Work experience provides opportunities, which will enable students to:

• Understand the day to day operations involved in the business/on the property etc.
  
  
• Apply in practice the values, knowledge and concepts acquired through the academic programme.
  
  
• Broaden concepts and expand knowledge of practical work opportunities.
  
  
• Gain an appreciation of some of the social and physical environments in which the business/property etc. operates.
  
  
• Acquire skills and competencies in collecting and analysing information, written and oral communication, interpersonal and personal skills.
  
  
• Develop management skills in the areas of report writing, written presentations and research.
  
  
• Gain experiences and knowledge, which will assist in clarifying career interests.