* Understanding Agronomy

*Objectives*Discuss the relationship between agriculture and the environment;*Describe issues with water associated with crop production; and*Explain how conservation practices protect the environment

*Ag. and the Environment

*Environment: external conditions that affect an organism or community and influence its development or existence*Ag crop production happens in the environment

*Is there a demand for food?*Fiber?*Shelter?

*Yes

*Ag. and the Environment*What drives that demand?*Population growth

*Ag. production has had to expand a lot since agriculture began 10,000 years ago*Forests cut down; wetlands drained; prairies plowed

*What happens to wildlife in those areas?*Some become extinct, endangered, or threatened*Is that just animals?*No*Native plants as well

*Ag. and the Environment

*The major cause for an animal or plant to become extinct, endangered, or threatened is habitat loss*That is the alteration of the environment causing an organism to adapt or die

*Another cause is competition*New species are introduced with few natural enemies to control them.*Native species are also viewed as pests and controlled as such

* Water and Crop Production

*What are some issues associated with crop production’s impact on our water supply?*Pollution is the #1 issue related to crop production*In some areas over-use is an issue

* Water and Crop Production

*Pollution can occur in both surface and groundwater*Groundwater is found under the surface usually in porous rock, sand, and gravel and must be accessed by drilling a well

*Two types of water pollution*Point Source*Pollutant added directly to body of water

*Non-Point Source*Pollutants come from a wide area and travel through

something else first

* Water and Crop Production

*What can pollute our water supply?*Chemical pesticides and fertilizers*Usually dissolve in water and soak into soil and drain naturally with the water*Concentrations of nutrients and other chemicals

interupt natural balance*Some areas are more susceptible than others

*Erosion *Sediment in water can be detrimental to aquatic life

* Water and Crop Production

*The Ag industry is the largest user of the world’s fresh water supply*Ultimately we are using more water from aquifers than is being replaced*So what do we need to do?

*Protecting the Environment through

Conservation*Production methods have been discovered that reduce and in some cases eliminate pollution*Which is easier to correct: point source or non-point source pollution?*Point source*These issues can be taken care of

*Some land can actually be taken out of production and – here is the key*Put back into a natural state*Is this always economical?*No

*Erosion can be reduced by creating terraces, grass waterways and conservation tillage*Technological advances in irrigation practices have cut down on water use and waste*Pumps, application, sensors

*Conservation tillage and genetically engineered crops reduce the number of times equipment has to be used*Less emissions pollution and lower fuel use

*Protecting the Environment through

Conservation

*Genetic engineering and biotechnology*Plants that can resist pests on their own*less pesticide use

*Could genetic engineering have a negative impact on the environment?*How?*Cross pollination*New genes*Pest resistance

*Protecting the Environment through

Conservation

*Agronomy Presentation

*Choose a partner*Choose a topic from the list*Research that topic *History*Development* Technology*How it is done*Why it is done

*Present the ins and outs *Cite your sources*Must use visual aides (pictures, videos, or models)*Do not plagiarize! (I don’t want to see huge chunks of ‘copy/paste’)

*Assignment