Common Questions About Agriculture – Answered!
Water is necessary to grow plants that provide food, fiber and shelter for the world. Agriculture production in the U.S. accounts for approximately 80% of the nation’s “consumptive water use.” “Consumptive water use” is the term that describes water used and not returned to the original source. However, when we use water in our home, or when an industry like agriculture uses water, about 90 percent of the water used is eventually returned to the environment where it replenishes water sources and can be used for other purposes. But of the water used for irrigation, only about one-half is reusable. The rest is lost by evaporation into the air, evapotranspiration from plants, or is lost in transit. While agriculture requires significant water to grow crops and raise animals, unused water returns to the ecosystem. Farmers are focused on conserving water for several reasons: 1) Farmers know water wasted could mean a lack of the resource for future crops. 2) Water is expensive. Water wasted is money lost. 3) Farmers are cultivators. They use precise technology to know exactly how much water a plant needs to grow. Too much could mean poor production. 4) Many farmers rely on Mother Nature for water.
Ag Lit Catalog
Conservation Word Scramble | Learning Activity
Farmers care for the land. Use the clues to help unscramble each word!
Purple Plow | Go With the Flow Challenge
When rain falls or snow melts, it does not simply stay in one place or seep into the ground to replenish groundwater; most of it begins to move. When water flows over land, it is called surface runoff, and it is an important part of the water cycle, but have you ever wondered where your runoff is running off to? What’s in your runoff? What is the runoff doing to the environment once it has settled? Around the world, there are more than 400 dead zones in oceans and lakes, where the water contains so little oxygen that aquatic life can no longer survive. In large part, this is due to excess nutrient pollution found in our runoff as a result of home, agricultural, and industrial practices as well as population growth. In this challenge, students will learn about the impact of runoff in rural and urban areas and its effects on the environment as well as plan for solutions to this growing issue of dead zones, hypoxia, and overall water quality.
Sharpen critical and creative thinking through these 40 ag-related hands-on STEM activities
Water is necessary to grow plants that provide food, fiber and shelter for the world. Agriculture production in the U.S. accounts for approximately 80% of the nation’s “consumptive water use.” “Consumptive water use” is the term that describes water used and not returned to the original source. However, when we use water in our home, or when an industry like agriculture uses water, about 90 percent of the water used is eventually returned to the environment where it replenishes water sources and can be used for other purposes. But of the water used for irrigation, only about one-half is reusable. The rest is lost by evaporation into the air, evapotranspiration from plants, or is lost in transit. While agriculture requires significant water to grow crops and raise animals, unused water returns to the ecosystem. Farmers are focused on conserving water for several reasons: 1) Farmers know water wasted could mean a lack of the resource for future crops. 2) Water is expensive. Water wasted is money lost. 3) Farmers are cultivators. They use precise technology to know exactly how much water a plant needs to grow. Too much could mean poor production. 4) Many farmers rely on Mother Nature for water.
Ag Lit Catalog
Conservation Word Scramble | Learning Activity
Farmers care for the land. Use the clues to help unscramble each word!
Purple Plow | Go With the Flow Challenge
When rain falls or snow melts, it does not simply stay in one place or seep into the ground to replenish groundwater; most of it begins to move. When water flows over land, it is called surface runoff, and it is an important part of the water cycle, but have you ever wondered where your runoff is running off to? What’s in your runoff? What is the runoff doing to the environment once it has settled? Around the world, there are more than 400 dead zones in oceans and lakes, where the water contains so little oxygen that aquatic life can no longer survive. In large part, this is due to excess nutrient pollution found in our runoff as a result of home, agricultural, and industrial practices as well as population growth. In this challenge, students will learn about the impact of runoff in rural and urban areas and its effects on the environment as well as plan for solutions to this growing issue of dead zones, hypoxia, and overall water quality.
Sharpen critical and creative thinking through these 40 ag-related hands-on STEM activities