The farm products industry includes farms that grow crops and raise livestock. It also includes those that manufacture and distribute farm products, such as a dairy factory or a company that processes and sells herbs under well-known consumer brand names.
A farm’s commodity specialization determines the type of product it produces. For example, a pig farm specializes in raising pigs for bacon and other pork products. Check out more at Founder lawsuit.
Crops
Whether they are grown in large fields or gardens, crops are the primary way that people feed themselves. They are also the main source of fuel and raw materials for industry, driving food supply, manufacturing, and many other functions worldwide.
Traditionally, most farms grew a wide variety of crops to provide food for the family and to sell to local markets. Today, however, many farms specialize in just one commodity. This specialization enables farmers to maximize returns from land use and production.
The major crop commodities are food, fiber, oil, ornamental and industrial. Food crops (such as wheat and rice) are the backbone of agricultural production. Fiber crops (such as cotton and hemp) can be used in the manufacture of textiles, rope, and paper products. Oil crops can be consumed directly as edibles or turned into cooking oils and other industrial chemicals such as paints, soaps, machine lubricants and cosmetics.
Most grain crops are grown for cash sales, particularly in developed countries where they are in high demand. On the prairies, most producers sell their wheat, oats, soybeans, field corn and winter wheat through terminal elevators for domestic or international sale.
Dairy
Dairy is produced from the milk of mammals, mainly cows but also goats, sheep, and camels. It is a staple in many diets, consumed as a drink or used to create a variety of dairy products like cheese, curd, butter, ghee, etc.
Milk goes through a series of processes to be transformed into these popular processed foods, including pasteurization to kill organisms and processing into butter, ice cream, and other dairy products. These are transported by refrigerated trucks to grocery stores, schools, and restaurants where they can be enjoyed by consumers.
The dairy industry uses significant amounts of synthetic fertilizers, which can pollute waterways, reduce biodiversity, and lead to soil degradation when they are not used properly. Farmers can reduce their environmental impact by using special systems to return manure back to the soil. This can be done either by allowing cows to graze on pasture or by providing them with manure-based feed.
Poultry
Poultry meat and eggs are a vital source of affordable high-quality protein. However, factory farming is often cruel to animals and a big drain on natural resources. One of the main ingredients in chicken feed is soy, which is grown on land formerly covered by rainforests, often destroying ecosystems.
The poultry industry is also responsible for significant water use. On a typical poultry farm, birds drink from a water well or faucet that is monitored 24/7. This way farmers can be sure they are using the right amount of water and ensuring it is clean and safe for the birds.
The poultry industry also uses water to control feces and urine. Unlike mammals, birds excrete their waste together in liquid form instead of as dry dung. This means that the liquid sluicings are much more concentrated and harder to ship than dry manure. Nevertheless, despite its challenges, the poultry industry continues to grow. This is partly due to increasing demand for poultry products and changes in lifestyles in many countries.
Livestock
Livestock is the raising of land-living animals to provide food, fiber, transportation and cultivation assistance. This includes beef and dairy cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, domestic fowl (chicken, turkeys, ducks, geese, squabs and guinea fowl) and horses. This sector also covers the raising of rabbits and even insects (aquaculture and honey bees). Livestock production accounts for about two-thirds of agriculture’s emissions, including enteric fermentation in ruminants, deforestation emissions where forests are cleared to create pasture or feed crops and manure management.
NSAC is working to ensure that livestock and poultry producers receive a fair share of the market price for their products by strengthening contract standards and by supporting policies that encourage sustainable animal production systems. This can help reduce the reliance on highly industrialized systems that lead to land degradation and limit consumer choice. These efforts will contribute to more sustainable and healthier diets globally. A growing global population demands more food and that means more farm products, especially meat. But the industry must move toward more sustainable development to meet these needs.