Welcome to: Agriculture Home

Read it today! GMO and You!  Agricultural products hardly resemble their wild relatives today, so why are we so concerned about fiddling with a few more genes.  Genetically modified organisms represent amazing potential in terms of crop harvests and disease resistance. So why are so many people concerned about their use? Is it because plant genes can easily be transferred to weeds, or is it just because no one's quite sure what the long term impacts of genetic modifications are going to be.

Tracing its history to before written history, crop agriculture generated our first leisure class as people could finally eat the fruits of other's labor.  Today farmers raise crops more efficiently than ever before, and yet they continue to struggle to profitably harvest crops and sustain their families. Farmers have borne the blame for pollution, sickness and erosion, but they also provide food for most of the world. Learn more about this varied, and vital profession here.

While meat was once a luxury that most could not afford, today many people consider the ability to have fresh meat a right. One trend that has been repeated as countries develop is their penchant for consuming meat, and in particular beef.  Cattle consume 5 pounds of grain for every pound of beef produced while poultry converts grain the most efficiently requiring only 2 pounds of grain for each pound of meat produced. Today only a fraction of the world has reached "developed" economic status, and livestock consume more crop products than humans.  So who will feed China's millions once they become developed?

If you're infatuated with growing your own produce, then you're among the billions who actively garden.  From metropolitan herb gardens to rural estates, we like to watch things grow. Today gardeners have more choices of what to plant than ever before. Unfortunately more and more of those choices are non-native plants whose ultimate impacts may be devastating to local flora. Maybe you're an organic gardener who grows your own produce, or just a weekend lawn watcher, here you can learn how to do it better!