Employment opportunities for agricultural and animal scientists are expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through the years to come. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there is projected to be a 27 percent increase in employment for agricultural scientists up to the year 2005. While the agricultural field as a whole is expected to lose several farm owners and farmhands during the next several years, employment for scientists, particularly those with advanced degrees, and highly skilled technicians is expected to be very good.
Introduction
Agriculture is a relatively new endeavor for the human race. Begun some 9,000-7,000 years ago, probably quite accidentally, the purposeful planting and harvesting of edible crops, and the herding of livestock allowed humans to permanently settle land that they had just roamed for thousands of years. Agriculture, in fact, is the cornerstone of all of human history that followed. Without agriculture the first great city-states of Babylon, Ur, Troy, and Machu Pichu would not have existed, for it would have been impossible for large populations to gather without ample and surplus food supplies. Without agriculture the great early thinkers Lao-tse and Plato would have had no one to hear nor pass on their great thoughts. Without agriculture there would be no information superhighway as it exists today. In fact, without agriculture we would, instead of reading this book, be wandering about the landscape in small groups, hunting and gathering only enough to keep us alive from day to day!
With the advent of agriculture, humans were able to develop commerce, make technological advances, and spread and intermingle their varied cultures across the globe. As humans learned more efficient ways to farm and raise livestock, they began to produce surplus crop; this allowed some members of the group to practice trades other than farming. Masonry, carpentry, pottery, and weaving became the occupation of some group members; this in turn led to trade among groups. Through this contact with other groups, agricultural practices, seeds, and animals were traded, which led to the spread of agriculture throughout the world. While the type of agriculture practiced in different parts of the world depends on the landscape, climate, and local culture, today almost all groups and societies practice some form of agriculture. And nowhere in the world is agriculture practiced more efficiently than here in the United States.
The biggest challenge for professionals in the agricultural and animal sciences is finding ways to produce more food for a swelling global population. When agriculture was first discovered, there were a mere 5 million humans on the face of the earth. Today, there are 5.5 billion global citizens, and food- producing capabilities are being strained in many areas, as evidenced by mass disease and famine, particularly in Africa. Population pressures will certainly continue because the global population is expected to exceed 10 billion in a mere 40 years!
History Of Agriculture In The United States
While indigenous Americans had been farming for several thousand years, the arrival of Europeans in the 1700s and 1800s, with their machinery and technology from the industrial revolution, created the conditions for America to become a major world producer of agricultural products. The United States offered settlers vast lands to practice their agrarian trades. Farming immigrants from Germany, France, Holland, and Eastern Europe migrated westward to the central region of the nation and created what is now called "America's breadbasket." By the early 1900s the basic structure of the American agricultural landscape was in place. The Northeast has primarily small crop and dairy farms; the South is dominated by single-crop plantations growing primarily tobacco and cotton; in the Midwest, the nation's wheat basket, grain and livestock production reign, while in the great northern plain states of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and the Dakotas, dairy farming, livestock, com, and wheat dominate. In the West, the great valley of California produces a wide variety of fruit and vegetables, including most of the citrus fruits, nuts, and deciduous fruits consumed in the United States. It is also home to the world-renowned wine vineyards of the Napa Valley. In the Northwest, fruit, particularly apples, is the main crop.
The percent of farmers in the U.S. population has dropped substantially during the past several decades, from around 50 percent to just under 5 percent today. In 1950, there were 5.6 million farms, down to 4 million in 1960, and approximately 2 million today. In contrast, the total amount of farmland has dropped only slightly, which means there are now far fewer but much larger farms. In addition, agriculture has become a highly mechanized and specialized field. The average output of U.S. farms is among the highest in the world, due primarily to advances in farm machinery and technology, such as modem irrigation systems, the combine, highly efficient transportation systems, the use of powerful pesticides, and most recently the introduction of predator insect populations to control crop loss.
This nation is truly a global superpower in terms of total agricultural output. Agriculture (including forestry) produces two-thirds of the raw materials in the United States, and crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans account for a substantial proportion of our national exports. Overall, the United States contributes 25 percent of global beef production and 15 percent of the grain produced each year.
