USA Agriculture

Nearly 400 years ago European colonists came to America. The colonists began to settle. They cleared the land and transformed forests into croplands and pastures.

In 1862 the government gave land away free. A settler had to clear it, build a house and live there for at least five years. There appeared family farms. Over time, farming methods and farming areas increased. Today the average farm in the USA comprises 187ha (462 acres). American farms became more efficient. Many farms adopted new technologies. Computers helped them to improve productivity and cut costs. In the 1990s American farmers invested more than $400 billion in land, livestock, buildings and equipment. American consumers pay less for their food than people of many other industrial countries. By the mid-1970s a single farmer could grow enough food to feed himself, 45 other Americans and 8 foreigners.

Most of the farms in the USA are family farms. Only 3 percent of them are led by corporations that are owned by families. People who have small pieces of land cannot invest in the modern equipment. Often they sell their land to other farmers. There are tenant farmers who rent this land for cash or give the owner a part of the crops they grow. Owners of large farms hire seasonal workers. Many of these seasonal workers travel from farm to farm. They stay only for the period of picking crops.

The Northeast region does not have large areas of good land. But you can find dairy and poultry farms in several areas. The Great Lake region is also an important area for farming. Corn, wheat and dairy products are the most important agricultural items. The region has enough rainfall, which is very important for hay, grown to feed dairy cattle.

The South is famous for tobacco. The moist, warm climate contributes to the extensive growth of tobacco in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Cotton is another important crop for southern farmers, especially in Arkansas and Mississippi. Peanuts are grown in Georgia and citrus fruits, vegetables in Florida.

The Great Plains region is considered the "American breadbasket". It yields great quantities of crop, especially wheat. Wheat is important in Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Iowa receives more rainfall than the states in the west, so corn is grown instead of wheat. It is the leading state in the USA in corn production. Texas leads the country in the number of cattle and sheep. Here vegetables and citrus fruit, wheat and cotton are grown too.

The Rocky Mountains region lacks water. So many farmers raise livestock. The cattle and sheep require a lot of land to graze. Many of the ranches are very large. Their sizes can be over 900 hectares.

Now USA agriculture is big business and is a part of the country's economy.