Welcome
• Contemporary Issues in Agriculture
– Issues Class- meaning an in-depth exploration of conflict between two oppositional sides of an issue.
Conflict
• Example: Organic Farming vs. Conventional Farming
– Organic Position- cut production quantity to focus on production quality for the health of all involved.
– Conventional Position- Increase productivity through the use of technology and site specific inputs to increase profitability for producer and decrease food price for consumer.
What is this class?
• Better question: What does this class mean?
• What do the following words mean?– Contemporary– Issue– Agriculture
Contemporary
• (Adjective) – Existing or occurring at, or dating from, the same period of time as something or somebody else.
• (Noun) – Somebody or something in existence at the present time.
Issues
• (Noun) – A topic for discussion or of general concern.
• (Verb) – transitive verb - To make public something such as a bulletin, statement, warning, or deliver it officially to somebody.
Agriculture
• As defined by Bill Gates and the Microsoft Crew
• (Noun) – The occupation, business, or science of cultivating the land, producing crops, and raising livestock.
• Thesaurus says agriculture is, “Farming, Cultivation, Crop Growing, and Gardening”
Is America illiterate about Agriculture?
• Or is Agriculture illiterate about Agriculture?– The largest employer– $1,000,000,000,000 industry
• Since 1850, the definition of a farm has changed 9 times (USDA, 2008).
So…what is a farm?
• Since 1974, the USDA has defined a farm as…
– any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products (crops and livestock) were sold or normally would have been sold during the year
What about this class?
• Identify issues
• Effectively communicate
• Learn how to research
• Develop independent decisions and opinions with valuable documentation.
• Gain knowledge in agriculture
• Gain self-confidence
• Rodeo– Do you think rodeo
is fair animal treatment?
• USDA– What do they do?
Who is the secretary of Agriculture?
• Organic Food– Does your body
function better on antioxidants? What are they?
• Tobacco– What is your
stance? No smoking? Or limited?
• Fast Food-– Is it good for you?– How much do we
consume?
• PETA-– How do you feel
about this activist group?
• We will also discuss the History of Agriculture.
• Who can forget Norman Borlaug?
• Certified Organic- Is it really all organic?
• Horse Slaughter-– Are you for it or
against it and why?
AG. Illiteracy
• Chicken or beef?• Or should I say Holstein?• When is the last time you sat down to a
juicy hunk of milk cow?• Oh- and who can forget the hit movie Barnyard where all of the bull cattle had udders?
• We all know male cattle don’t have udders!
Discussions
• We will discuss much more as well.
• Remember to practice appropriate professional discussion as the issues come forth.
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