Grain, Oil, and Specialty Field-Crop Production

1. Grain, Oil, and Specialty Field-Crop Production By Larry Stine Estherville Lincoln Central High School Original Power Point Created by Larry Stine Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office June 2002

2. Competencies: • define important terms used in crop production • identify major crops grown for grain, oil, and special purposes • classify field crops according to use and thermo requirements • describe how to select field crops, varieties, and seed

3. Competencies: • prepare proper seedbeds for grain, oil, and specialty crops • plant field crops • describe current irrigation practices for field crops to meet their water needs • control pests in field crops • harvest and store field crops

4. Terms to Know • Field Crops • Grain Crops • Malting • Forage • Cover Crops • Green Manure Crops • Oilseed Crops

5. Terms to Know • Linen • Linseed Oil • Ginning • Seed Pieces • Cash Crop • Thermo • Cereal Crops

6. Terms to Know • Seed Legume Crops • Root Crops • Sugar Crops • Tuber Crops • Stimulant Crops • Conventional Tillage • No-till

7. Terms to Know • Row Crop Planters • Drill Planters • Broadcast Planters • Irrigation • Sprinklers • Surface Irrigation • Mechanical Pest Control

8. Terms to Know • Cultural Control • Biological Control • Genetic Control • Chemical Control • Threshing

9. History of Crop Production • Began about 10,000 years ago • Changed early humans from hunters to farmers • Observed what animals were eating • Trial and error and thousands of years of selection

10. In the United States • Occupies more than 450 million acres • Acreage represents about 20% of the U.S. • About 2% of American workers are in production agriculture • 11% of personal income in U.S. spent on food • Helps to maintain balance of trade

11. Major Field Crops in the United States • Seven major grain crops in the United States • All are grasses grown for their edible seeds • Major Grain Crops: Corn Oats Wheat Rye Barley Rice Grain Sorghum

12. Corn • Most important field crop in the U.S. • 35-40% of total production from midwest • 50% of corn produced in the world • Origin in Central America

13. Corn • Less than 10% of U.S. production is for human consumption • Major classifications: Dent corn Flint corn Popcorn Sweet corn Flour or soft corn Pod corn

14. Wheat • Most important grain crop in the world • 2nd to corn in U.S. • Primarily for human consumption • Ground into flour: bread cakes cereal macaroni/noodles

15. Wheat • Types of Wheat: Common Poulard Durum Polish Club Emmer Spelt • Classes of Common Wheat: Soft red winter Hard red winter Hard red spring White

16. Barley • Ranks fifth among grain crops in U.S. • Most is used in livestock feed • Same feed value as corn • Production for malting is also important

17. Oats • Fourth in acres produced in the United States • Value is well documented for livestock: Adding bulk to the diet Adding protein to the diet • 5% is made into oatmeal and cookies • Used in production of plastics, pesticides, and preservatives • Important in paper and brewing industries

18. Rye • Least economically important grain crop • 25-35% of rye acreage used for grain • Remainder used for forage: Cover crop Green manure crop • Rye grown for grain is used for livestock feed, flour, whiskey & alcohol production

19. Rice • Major grain crop grown for food for over half the people in the world • Only commercially grown grain crop that can grow and thrive in standing water • Types grown in U.S.: Short grain Medium grain Long grain • Majority used for human consumption

20. Sorghum • In U.S. used primarily for livestock feed • About equal to corn in food value • Other uses include: Forage Manufacture of syrup or sugar Making of brooms • Third most important U.S. grain crop

21. Sorghum • Types of sorghum: Grain Forage Syrup Grass Broomcorn

22. Oilseed Crops • Crops grown for the production of oil from their seeds • Growing in importance each year • Important crops are: Soybeans Safflower Peanuts Flax Corn Sunflower Cottonseed

23. Soybeans • 60 million acres in U.S. • Average yield 34 bu/acre • Gross $11 billion/year • Oil and grain products are major uses • Meal fed to livestock • Also used for hay, pasture, and other forage • 100’s of other uses

24. Peanuts • Actually a pea and not a nut • Grown primarily in the South • One ton will yield: 500 lbs. oil 800 lbs. meal 700 lbs. shell • Meal used for livestock feed and in human diets • Other foods include peanut butter and dry roasted peanuts

25. Safflower • Production for oil occurs mainly in California • Plants grow 2 to 5 feet high with heads resembling Canadian thistles • 25-35 percent oil • Used in production of paint and other industrial products • Used for cooking oil and low cholesterol diets

26. Flax • Originally, the production was for fiber • Fibers are used to produce linen • Oil is called linseed oil • Important raw product in many types of paint • 100’s of uses in industry • Meal is excellent source of protein for animal feeds

27. Sunflowers • Production of oil-type important in recent years • 90% of production oil-type • 49-53% oil • Meal has 14-19% protein • Meal used for livestock feed • Oil used for margarine and cooking oil • Oil can substitute for diesel fuel in tractors

28. Specialty Crops • Include: Fiber Crops Sugar Crops Stimulant Crops • Examples include: Cotton Sugar beets Sugarcane Tobacco

29. Cotton • Originated in Central and South America • Important crop in South since colonial times • Need warm temperatures and a long growing season • Can produce up to three crops per year under irrigation

30. Cotton • Over 15 million bales of cotton produced in U.S. per year • 9 million bales used in textile industry, rest is exported • Removing seed from cotton is called ginning • Seed is processed to remove the oil which contributes to vegetable oil needs • Meal is used for animal feed

31. Sugar Beets • Accounts for about 35% of the refined sugar produced in the U.S. • Produces a thick, fleshy storage root • Center of production is the western states and the upper Midwest • Dry pulp used in livestock feeds

32. Sugar Cane • Accounts for 65% of the sugar refined in the U.S. • Crop is a grass grown from sections of stalk called seed pieces • Takes about 2 years to reach harvesting stage in Hawaii • Takes 7 months until harvest in the southern states • Can harvest several times before replanting

33. Tobacco • Original North American product used by Native Americans • Produced as a cash crop • Production dropped in the 1980’s and increased again in the 1990’s • Requires large amounts of labor and is adapted to small farming operations • Warm temperatures and plenty of rainfall are required for optimum production

34. Classification of Field Crops • Three ways of classifying field crops: Use Thermo requirements Life span • Classification by use: Cereal crops-grown for their edible seeds Seed legume crops-nitrogen-fixing crops that produce edible seeds Root crops-grown for their thick, fleshy storage roots

35. Classification of Field Crops Foragecrops -grown for hay, silage, or pastures for livestock feed Sugarcrops -grown for their ability to store sugars in their stems or roots Oil crops -produced for the oil content of their seeds and meals used in livestock feeds Tuber crops -grown for their thickened, underground storage stems, meals used in livestock feeds Stimulant crops -grown for their ability to stimulate the sense of the user

36. Classification of Field Crops • Thermo classifications: Warm season Cool season • Warm season crops must have warm temperatures in order to live and grow • Cool season crops often need a period of cool weather in order to attain maximum production

37. Classification of Field Crops • Classification by life span: Annual Biennial Perennial • Factors to consider for the selection of field crops: 1. Crops that will grow and produce the desired yields under the type of climate available. 2. Crops that are adapted to the type of soil available.

38. Classification of Field Crops 3. Demand on market available for the crop to be produced. 4. Labor requirements and availability of labor for the crop. 5. Machinery and equipment necessary to grow the crop. 6. Availability of enough land to justify production of the crop. 7. Pest-control problems. 8. Expected yields. 9. Anticipated production costs.

39. Seedbed Preparation • Purpose is to provide conditions favorable for germination and growth • Eliminating competition from weeds and crop residues is a consideration

40. Seedbed Preparation • Can increase availability of soil nutrients • Should not be overworked • Fineness of seedbed is dependent on size of seed • Should contain enough fertility to encourage germination and growth • Control and elimination of weeds, insects, and diseases is an important consideration

41. Seedbed Preparation • Three categories of tillage preparation: Conventional tillage -land is plowed with a moldboard plow Minimum tillage -seedbed is prepared only enough so that the seed can make contact with the soil and germinate No-till -planting seeds directly into the residue of the previous crop

42. Planting Field Crops • Three general types of planters: Row crop planters -plant seeds in precise rows with even spacing within the rows Drill planters -plant seeds in narrow rows at high population rates Broadcast planters -scatter the seed in a random pattern on top of the seedbed

43. Planting Field Crops • Other considerations include: Date to plant Germination rate of seeds Uniformity of seed Weather conditions Insect and disease control problems

44. Meeting Water Needs of Crops • Ideally 1/2 of pore space is filled with water • About 1/2 of the water in the pore spaces are available for plant use • Factors affecting water availability include: Type of soil Natural rainfall Water-table levels Prevailing winds

45. Meeting Water Needs of Crops • Irrigation may be the answer to obtaining profitable yields • Irrigation has been practiced for over 5,000 years Egyptians used water from the Nile River for irrigation Chinese and Native Americans used irrigation

46. Meeting Water Needs of Crops • Major methods of supplying irrigation water to crops: Sprinklers -spray water through the air, much like rainfall Surface irrigation -water gets to the crop by gravity, flowing over the surface of the soil or in ditches or furrows Subsurface irrigation -supplies water to the roots of crops underground

47. Pest Control in Field Crops • Control of pests in field crops often determines profits • Pests include: Diseases Weeds Insects Animals • Economic losses total billions of dollars each year

48. Pest Control in Field Crops • Three main categories of losses: Reduced yields Reduced quality Spoilage • Methods of controlling pests in field crops: Mechanical pest control Genetic control Cultural pest control Chemical control Biological pest control

49. Mechanical Pest Control • Anything that affects the environment of the pest or the pest itself • Cultivation is the normal mechanical control of weeds • Other types include: Pulling or mowing weeds Use of screens, barriers, traps, and electricity

50. Cultural Control • Adapting farming practices to control pests • Includes: Timing farming operations to eliminate pests Rotating crops Planting resistant varieties Planting trap crops that are more attractive to insects than is the primary crop