Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming) is the art, science or practice of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. Agri is from Latin ager ("a field"), and culture is from Latin cultura, meaning "cultivation" in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. Thus a literal reading of the English word yields tillage of the soil of a field. In actual usage, Agriculture denotes a broad array of activities essential to food and material production, including all techniques for raising and processing livestock (see Animal husbandry) no less than those essential to crop planting and harvesting.

Continual improvement in agricultural methods from pre-history to the present has been the key factor in the extreme specialization of human activity during the historical epoch. Many of these specializations have nothing to do with food production, but when specialists such as scientists, inventors and mechanical and chemical engineers devote their efforts to the improvement of farming methods, resources and implements they too, along with those who work the fields and pens, are said to be "in agriculture".

42% (2002 estimate) of the world's population is employed in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation, yet it accounts for only 4.4% (2005 estimate) of the Gross World Product (an aggregate of all Gross Domestic Products).^*

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USDA Agricultural Research Service

New Switchgrass Germplasm Collected in Florida
Wed, 25 Nov 2009 08:26:00 -0500
Forty-six new populations of switchgrass from many different environments in Florida such as from swampy areas, oak forests, pine scrubs, weedy areas along roadsides, and back dune areas along the coast have been added to the ARS germplasm collection. Photo courtesy of NRCS. Scientists determine farm costs of producing switchgrass for ethanol   Energy farming with switchgrass saves carbon   Scientists study feasibility of switchgrass for energy production New Switchgrass Germplasm Collected in Florida By Alfredo Flores November 25, 2009 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators have collected 46 new populations of switchgrass in Florida, adding valuable new accessions to the germplasm collection of this potential bioenergy crop. Switchgrass, a perennial warm season grass used for forage and soil conservation, is now being studied as a biomass crop for ethanol. These new additions to the switchgrass perennial grass collection could provide new genetic resources for biofuel feedstocks. The research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) priority of developing new sources of bioenergy. ARS is USDA’s principal intramural scientific research agency. The native switchgrass collection trips were conducted in Florida in 2008 and 2009 by ARS agronomist Melanie Harrison-Dunn and research leader Gary Pederson at the ARS Plant Genetic Resources Conservation Unit in Griffin, Ga. They worked in cooperation with plant material specialist Mary J. Williams with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Florida State Office in Gainesville, Fla., and senior biological technician Mary Anne Gonter with the NRCS Brooksville Plant Materials Center in Brooksville, Fla. During the collection trips, the researchers discovered new switchgrass populations in many different environments—including swampy areas, oak forests, pine scrubs, weedy areas along roadsides, and dune areas along the coast. The scientific team braved alligators, spiders and other dangers while collecting switchgrass, often in areas endangered by habitat destruction. There was significant genetic variation in the switchgrass populations found, including differences in seed maturity, foliage abundance, plant height, and panicle (fruit attached to branch) size. GPS coordinates for each location were recorded, as well as elevation, plant description, site description, abundance and distribution of plants in the area, and other vegetation found at the site. The materials will be deposited in the ARS National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS), where it will be preserved and maintained for future research by plant breeders and others interested in improving this valuable grass.
Sustainable Corn Production Supports Advanced Biofuel Feedstocks
Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:18:00 -0500
It may be more cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable to use corn stover for generating an energy-rich oil called bio-oil and for making biochar to enrich soils and sequester carbon than to turn it into cellulosic ethanol, according to a new study from ARS. Photo courtesy of Courtesy of DOE/NREL. How much corn stover can a corn grower pick?   Protecting soils and producing biofuel with corn stover   ARS bio-oil technology heats up Sustainable Corn Production Supports Advanced Biofuel Feedstocks By Ann Perry November 24, 2009 Researchers worldwide are trying to economically convert cellulosic biomass such as corn stover into "cellulosic ethanol." But Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found that it might be more cost-effective, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable to use corn stover for generating an energy-rich oil called bio-oil and for making biochar to enrich soils and sequester carbon. Stover is made up of the leaves, husks, cobs and stalks of the corn plant, and could provide an abundant source of feedstock for cellulosic ethanol production after the grain is harvested. But removing stover from the field would leave soil more vulnerable to erosion, deplete plant nutrients and accelerate the loss of soil organic matter. Several ARS scientists collaborated with the National Corn Growers Association to explore other options for using corn stover as biofuel feedstock. Chemical engineer Akwasi Boateng, chemist Charles Mullen, mechanical engineer Neil Goldberg and research leader Kevin Hicks all work at the ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, Pa. Chemist Isabel Lima, who works at the ARS Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, La.; and soil scientist David Laird, who works at the ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Iowa, also contributed to the study. The team used fast pyrolysis, which is rapid heating in the absence of oxygen, to transform corn stover and cobs into bio-oil and bio-char. They found that the bio-oil captured 70 percent of the total energy input, and the energy density of the bio-oil was five to 16 times the energy density of the feedstock. This suggests it could be more cost-effective to produce bio-oil through a distributed network of small pyrolyzers and then transport the crude bio-oil to central refining plants to make "green gasoline," rather than transporting bulky stover to a large centralized cellulosic ethanol plant. In addition, about 18 percent of the feedstock was converted into bio-char, which contains most of the mineral nutrients in the corn residues. Using biochar as a soil amendment would return those nutrients to the soil, reduce leaching of other nutrients, help build soil organic matter and sequester carbon. These benefits would help mitigate the adverse environmental effects of harvesting stover for fuel production. These findings were published online in the journal Biomass and Bioenergy. This research supports the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) priority of developing new sources of bioenergy. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.
Dehydration Affects Mood, Not Just Motor Skills
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:26:00 -0500
Mild dehydration appears to affect mood and cognitive ability of young athletes in addition to impacting physical performance, according to a new ARS study. Click the image for more information about it. Elderly improve with exercise, too   Panting through your workouts? Try getting enough zinc   Dehydration Affects Mood, Not Just Motor Skills By Rosalie Marion Bliss November 23, 2009 Dehydration has long been known to compromise physical performance. Now, a new study provides insight into the effects of mild dehydration on young athletes, and possibly into the lives of people too busy to consume enough water daily. The study was supported in part by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and a U.S. Army grant. Biological psychologist Kristen D’Anci led the study while with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. Other coauthors were Holly Taylor with Boston-based Tufts University, and Caroline Mahoney with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass. The study adds to a relatively new area of research and was published recently in Perceptual and Motor Skills. Athletes commonly lose between 2 and 4 percent of their body weight during athletic practice. The researchers wanted to explore the effects of dehydration on cognition—the ability to use information to function—and mood. About 30 male and female Tufts University students, with an average age of 20, participated in the study. When students were assigned to the “dehydration group,” they were not given fluids during athletics. When in the control condition, they were given water throughout athletics. The participants weighed in before and after athletics to assess body water loss. After athletic activity, participants underwent cognitive tests, which included short-term memory and mood scales among others. The researchers found that dehydration was associated with negative mood, including fatigue and confusion, compared to the hydrated group. The level of mild dehydration (losses of between 1 percent and 2 percent) experienced among participants in the study could be compared to the mild dehydration some people experience in their daily lives from drinking insufficient amounts of water, according to authors. ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This research supports the USDA priority of improving nutrition and health.

USDA - Agriculture

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