Describing the Effect of Ag On Our Society

1. Describing the Effect of Ag On Our Society A quick look at how ag effects all of us.

2. Agricultural Roles • Most important to the well being of our nation • Forerunner of the industrial revolution, the services era, and the current information age. • Responsible for feeding nations and producing goods for trade.

3. Early times of our country • Society depended on an agrarian economy • Ag employed 90% of population • Food costs took 60 cents from every dollar earned • Majority of exports were solely ag products

4. Recent times • Society depends on a well rounded economy • Produce more and more food with fewer resources • Americans spend less than 17% of their average earnings on food • Ag commodities account for only 20% of exports

5. Can American Ag Stand Alone? • Absolutely not!! • A close relationship exists between American ag and foreign countries • American ag increasingly depends on world trade for both imports and exports

6. Terminology • Imports-any type of good that is transported into our country • Export- any type of good that is transported to other countries

7. Trade • We export more than 36 billion worth of ag products annually • Jobs related to the exportation of ag products employ more than one million people in the U.S. • These numbers enable the U.S. to enjoy a favorable balance of trade.

8. Export Examples • Export 60% of our wheat and rice • 50% of our cotton • 40% of our soybeans • 30% of our feed grains and tobacco

9. What would the world do without the United States?

10. Make no Mistake Food = Power

11. World Uses • 80% of our corn is consumed • 80% of our soybeans • 40% of the world’s wheat comes from the U.S • 24% of the world’s rice also • Even U.S tobacco is widely used