The farm products industry includes the cultivation of crops and livestock as well as their subsequent sale. This can range from a small local vegetable farm selling produce at the farmers market to multinational corporations that grow agricultural crops around the world and sell them under their own brand name. Find out more at Founder lawsuit.
Crops
Crops include cultivated plants, fungi or alga that are harvested and used for various purposes including food, fuel and fiber. There are several types of crops including grains, fruits, vegetables and spices. Food crops account for the majority of the world’s cropland. These include cereals such as wheat, corn and rice; soybeans, rapeseed, cotton and sugar cane; fruit (including apples, pears and bananas); and vegetable crops.
Other crops are grown for non-food purposes. Horticulture crops include flowering garden and potted plants, cut cultivated greens, and ornamental trees. Industrial crops are produced for clothing and paper (fiber crops e.g. cotton), biofuels (energy crops e.g. ethanol), or medicine (herbs and spices).
The Farm Products Unit administers programs such as New York State branding laws inspections, seed potato field inspections for certification, shell egg surveillance and controlled atmosphere apple storage licensing on a fee basis. It also provides optional third-party grading and certification services for fruit and vegetables on delegated authority from the USDA.
Dairy
Milk is a nutritious liquid produced by mammals and it’s the base for a variety of foods, like yogurt, curd, cheese and ice cream. Milk and its derivatives have been a staple food for millennia. It provides calcium, iodine, protein, vitamin B12 and other nutrients.
Commercial milk typically undergoes a heat treatment called pasteurisation to kill any harmful bacteria and extend its shelf life. Milk can also be processed into reduced fat, skimmed or evaporated versions. It may also be fortified with added vitamins and minerals.
The ERS dairy program produces data and analyses of dairy market trends in the United States and around the world, including global long-term agricultural bases projections, domestic supply and demand projections, market forecasts, and other analysis. ERS also produces reports on dairy market issues, such as milk price volatility and trade flows. The Dairy Products Gallery includes photos of dairy products.
Poultry
The poultry industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in farm products. In part this is due to genetics improvements, nutrition requirements knowledge changes, antibiotic use change and consumer demands for an accessible economical protein source.
The industry also benefits from the fact that poultry has a short generation interval and provides faster returns per unit of land. The industry also supports ancillary businesses and employment opportunities. Poultry production also stimulates the use of organic fertilizers, providing economic gains to agriculture.
But the poultry industry faces a number of challenges. Hardly a week goes by without some sort of food’scare’ in the media and most of these concerns relate to poultry products. Often the issues stem from the fact that these animals are raised in factory farms where they are subject to stress, lack of enrichment and overcrowding. Moreover, the feed required to keep the billions of birds crammed in these warehouses is derived from grains like soy which require large tracts of deforested lands. Also, the use of fish in chicken feed leads to the destruction of ocean ecosystems and contributes to eutrophication (depletion of oxygen) in the world’s waters.
Livestock
Livestock are animals that have been domesticated, meaning their breeding and living conditions have been controlled by humans. These animals are reared for their meat, milk and eggs which are essential in human nutrition as part of a balanced diet.
The global demand for livestock products is increasing rapidly, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, driven by population growth and rising incomes. This increase in demand is expected to continue well into the future.
To meet this increased demand, livestock production must increase both through expansion in the number of animals and in productivity. This can be achieved by improving feed utilization efficiency, adopting new reproductive strategies and improving health coverage with the use of newer-generation biotechnological vaccines and drugs. Adaptation steps can also be taken through carbon sequestration, enhancing livestock’s ability to digest manure and fostering the adoption of more sustainable practices by livestock keepers. Ultimately, however, multiple objectives from different stakeholders mean that trade-offs are likely to occur in agricultural development decisions.
