Farm

De Jonge, Farm View, Villiersdorp, Western Cape, South Africa.

A farm is an agricultural tract of land used for either growing crops, including fruits and vegetables, or raising livestock or both. Nearly all of our food comes from farming. The practice of agriculture first began around 8000 BC. At the beginning of our country, most people were farmers. There are two groups of farms: specialized and mixed farms. Specialized farms raise crops or animals that grow well in their area. Some examples of crops on a specialized farm are:

• Corn
• Sugar beets
• Nuts
• Flowers
• Soybeans
• Potatoes
• Pineapples
• Cotton
• Christmas trees

Specialized livestock farms include about half of all farms in the United States.^[1] Some examples of animals on livestock farms are:

• Beef cattle
• Dairy cattle
• Hogs/Pigs
• Horses
• Sheep
• Goats
• Poultry

Some farms are mixed farms because they produce two or more products.

Specialized Farms[edit]

Poultry Farms[edit]

A poultry farm is a farm which is especially for raising chickens, turkeys, ducks,and other fowl for eggs and meat. Poultry farms can be either breeding farms where they raise poultry for meat, or layer farms where they produce eggs. Although poultry is mostly used for meat and eggs, other products come from these animals. Duck and goose feathers are used for pillows and insulated clothing. A down filled coat is filled with goose feathers. The poultry's manure is used for fertilizer in gardens of wherever it needs to be used.

Dairy Farms[edit]

A Dairy Farm is a farm in which female cows, goats, or other milk-producing livestock is raised for milk. The milk can either be transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale or processed on the site. Some of the milk is used to make cheese, while some is used to make ice cream, butter, and whipping cream. Most dairy farms sell their male calves for veal production instead of raising them.

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