Can anyone name any recent agriculture inventions/improvemnts within the last 20-30 years?

Question

it is for an asignment, and i cant seem to find any answers any where else. i need at least 3. please & thank you :)

Answer 1

Three recent inventions that I don't consider to be improvements are:

1. genetically modified organisms like terminator seed

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Transn...

2. RFID chips for animal ID. This may help some large businesses in managing their inventory, but the USDA is currently trying to push EVERY livestock owner in the country into this program - even though there is strong resistance to it by small farmers.

http://libertyark.net/

http://xstatic99645.tripod.com/naisinfoc...

http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/

3. rBST -an artificial hormone used to increase milk production.  Consumers who prefer organic milk will have a problem finding it if Monsanto succeeds in stopping the labeling of artificial hormone free milk.

http://www.democracynow.org/2003/7/25/mo...

http://www.riverreporter.com/issues/07-1...

Answer 2

I can name several improvements that have occurred over the last 30 years; I will list them out in what I consider order of importance and why they were important:

1)  Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs); this is by far the biggest and most important change that has occurred in agriculture since the invention of fertilizer.   And do not let anybody steer you wrong, this is a win for both the farmer and the consumer.  Prior to GMOs the only way to control weeds in crops was thru the use of long lasting and poisonous herbicides.   When I was farming I had a neighbor who died of brain cancer.  As he was dying he swore up and down that Atrazine (a popular herbicide used in corn) was the reason for his cancer.  I heard what he stated but at the same time ignored it as a dying man looking for something to blame.  Years later it became widely published that contact with Atrazine could cause cancer.   It should also be noted that Atrazine was one of the least dangerous chemicals you could handle in the days when chemicals was the answer to problems in the field.  And because they were long lasting you can bet residue of the herbicide could be found in the grain when it went to market.    GMOs also made a dramatic change in the way crops are planted in the spring.  Prior to GMOs, you would have to make an extra trip through the field to apply your herbicide prior to planting or you would have to apply the chemical immediately after planting.  This placed an extra burden on the farmer and required extra time during one of the busiest time of year.  After GMOs were introduced Roundup-style chemicals (Roundup is a brand name) are now used much later in the season after the rush of planting the crop is over.  The other really big plus about Roundup; Roundup breaks down chemically shortly after contact with the soil!!  So there is no long lasting effect to Roundup left in the soil or the crop.

And GMOs extend beyond herbicides.  In corn there is a worm that gets into the ear of corn and is almost impossible to kill with chemicals due to the heavy foliage that surrounds the ear of corn.  And chemicals that could kill the worm were extremely poisonous.  With GMOs the grain is now poisonous to the worm while being harmless to everything else that will consume the corn.

GMOs in a nutshell is selective breeding improved by technology.  And selective breeding is as old as farming.  But for some reason you will always have people who think change is bad….  Personally I know the “good old days” when the solution was lots and lots of chemicals were not so good!!  And as I go older I think about my neighbor who died of brain cancer every once and a while.   You see, I also have had a lot of contact with the chemical called Atrazine….

2) Roundup herbicide; the reason should be obvious after discussing GMOs.

3) GPS (Global Positioning System); I will admit when I was farming I did not think this would ever have an influence on agriculture.   But it has.  Best example I can think of is in the application of fertilizer on grassland pastures.  You would apply the fertilizer in paths 50 feet wide.  How did you do this?  You estimated the width of the path based on your tracks from the last path you made.  With GPS you now have what is called a light bar that keeps you on the correct spacing.  The result is fertilizer is applied much more efficiently.  And this is just the tip of the iceberg on GPS.

4) Computerized controls.  In my last years of farming I had a neighbor that put in a system that provide feed to his dairy cows based on milk output from the cow.  At the time I thought this was foolish on his part.  I look back now and realize what he was doing made perfect sense.  For those who think this may sound inhumane I suggest you look at it this way.  The dairyman is not starving the cow that produces the least milk; he is making sure the cow that is producing the most milk is not starving.  It is not in the best interest of a dairyman to starve any of his cows!

5) Floating and flexible headers on combines.  In a nutshell the flexible header allows the combine to follow the contour of the ground and harvest all the crop.  This is important in crops like soybeans where the grain grows close to the ground.  Also allows for a wider harvest head on the combine.

This is kind of a long answer for your question.  But it gives you not only innovations but why they are important.  And there are many more besides these.

I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Genetically Modified plants,

Round-Up herbicide and Round-Up Ready crop plants.

Anything directly or indirectly to do with computers.

GPS linked into tractors.

More acurate and faster weather reports.  Doplar radar

Faster diagnostics in disease detection/identification in plants and livestock.

Testing kits for the farmer to use him/herself

Answer 4

1)  No-till sewing.  Although the concept has been around longer than that only in recent time has it become viable or popular.

2)  Pre-enoculated seeds.  (the coloring on seeds that has the microbes that aid in germination and protection against diseases)

3)  Genetically improved seeds that allow for greater tons of food (corn, wheat, etc..) to be grown on smaller fields.

Answer 5

I'll try to makle this simple so you don't have to figure out all the cut and paste from google stuff. The increase use of roundup(glsophate) has made it possible to till the land way less thus saving fuel energy and erosion. hence minimizimg tillage.2 In the livestock sector Artifical Insemination has made it possible to have genetics from the best animals available in mass so improving stock as in higher milking cows faster gaining hogs etc. 3 Plant breeding has evolved more in the last 2o yErs than the previous 200 years. Plants that can withstand some drought, can survive spraying that kills the weeds that are competition for moisture and so on. There are some examples in words I hope you can understand.

Answer 6

PTO shaft covers. They protect people from getting wrapped up in them.

Answer 7

Automatic milking machines (I Know they were invented before then, but the ones that put themselves on the animal, release by themselves, etc.)