3 replies to this topic

[oddbins]

Can anyone help me with the characteristics for extensive commercial farming? Im not really sure what I'm supposed to write for this.

Thanks.

[bred]

Extensive Commerical Farming (thanks to Werlop):

Where
• Great Plains of the USA
• Prairie Provinces of Canada
• Areas of FLAT land
• Originally land divided up, but as people left amalgamation of farms occurred.

Characteristics
• Large areas of land available for cultivation
• Low crop yields, but very high scale production
• Monoculture of cereal crops in huge fields CASH CROPS (maize/wheat)
• High reliance on machinery and technology permitted by the large flat areas of land.
• Relatively low labour requirement
• Planted in Autumn, growth in summer months
• Harvested in late summer, contractors may be used
• Harvest stored in silos before being distributed
• Marginal climate not suited to more intensive types of farming.
• Land is cheap enabling large areas to be purchased
• Low population density
– Little pressure on land for other needs

Changes
• Steps being taken to tackle soil erosion:
• Strip cultivation
• Contour Ploughing
• Shelter belts
• Rows of sunflowers
• Diversification of farming
• Reduction in the monoculture of wheat
• Introduction of organic farming which helps reduce mono culture
• Diversification can provide job security, although there is still a declining farming population
• New crops means greater dependence on contractors to harvest the new crops introduced into this farming system.


This is in the pinned Higher Geography Resources thread and was originally posted in this thread: http://www.hsn.uk.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=1680.

[oddbins]

Are the physical and human inputs part of the characteristics for extenisve commercial farming?

I really dont understand this type of farming at all.

[bred]

Yes.