Economic, Social, and Environmental Issues in Porter County and Southern Minnesota Agriculture

Agriculture in Porter County

Agriculture in Southern Minnesota

Drainage of Wetlands

Specialization

• Differences in farming Yesterday and Today
• Farm Diversity
• Number of Farms and Farm Size
• Division of Labor
• What drives specialization?

Large Scale Animal Agriculture

• Shift from Family Farms to Factory Farms
• Environmental Issues

Conversion of Agricultural Land to Suburban Land

Global Scale Environmental Issues Linked to Agriculture in MN

Learn the following on your own from the text:

Types of Agriculture

• Commercial vs. Subsistence Agriculture
• Shifting Cultivation
• Intensive subsistence Agriculture
• Pastoralism

Agricultural Revolutions

• First, second, and third revolutions
• Industrialization of Agriculture
• Food Regimes and The food Supply Chain
• Green Revolution and Biotech Revolution