What crops are actually GMO in your own home or local grocery store?
Corn, Soybeans, Cotton, Canola, Alfalfa, Sugar Beets, Papaya and Squash are the top crops today.
For more interesting facts about GMO`s click the link below for more information. https://www.livescience.com/40895-gmo-facts.html
I have never clearly thought about the Green Industry till Tracy Wootten and Valann Budischak opened my eyes about it. They told us about how many different people make up the green industry which included; producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, golf courses and suppliers. The green industry in 2014 composed of $21,774,000. Thats a lot, I would have never thought the green industry could bring in so much. Floriculture crops include bedding and gardening plants while the others being nursery include broadleaf evergreens and deciduous shrubbery. This industry involves many different job opportunities. The economic impact in this industry is unreal, from small walk through greenhouses to Lowes the impact this industry has in general is insane. I would like to thank these wonderful ladies for the important, eye opening information.
I’m very sad to have missed this field trip, because I really wanted to drive a tractor! The only experience I have driving equipment that Hoober sells is our zero turn lawn mower we own at home, and smaller tractor I use to do the barn chores. From the album online, I was able to see just how big those tractors are. From the video we watched in class, I got a taste for what precision Ag is, and I think it’s fascinating that this technology is available to us. I also think the use of drones for surveying is a great application of the technology. The only thing that scares me is just how reliant we’re becoming on technology. When I think of driving a vehicle, it’s hard to imagine the functions being almost entirely automatic. Knowing your precise location, speed, efficiency, etc. is very impressive for a computer to do, but what if something goes wrong?
An important takeaway for me is advocacy and education about this type of technology. There are immense opportunities for experts in the tech field to grasp onto and be the people who take this technology into the future. It’s extremely important that people start to become educated about where this industry is heading, and we need those innovative thinkers to help guide us in the right direction.
Growing up all I could think about was riding with my Dad in the combine or sitting on his lap helping him drive around. Having the chance to drive a tractor again at Hoober`s really showed how highly technology is used and how its improved is amazing.
Technology being a key component on how agriculture has improved and sky rocketed over the years has really opened my eyes about the future of ag. With seeing all different pieces of technology in on piece of equipment is insane, you have every moment monitored whether it showing what you’re planting and where you did plant and how much was planted. Technology has gotten so big to the point where you can literally sit on your hands and the tractor stay on its set path. Its just mind blowing to see how everything has changed and how its improved what we do today and how fast we are able to accomplish certain things. I am happy I was able to have this experience and I want to thank Hoober for the wonderful time there!
Most people don’t know but there are only 10 genetically modified crops. The 10 genetically modified crops available today are alfalfa, apples, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, squash and sugar beets. The efforts to genetically modify these crops focus on expressing positive traits that support the quality of the crop and improving resistance to pests and weather conditions.
The list below shows the year the GMO crop was launched
So the next time you are in a grocery store and are distraught over which pasta to purchase because the labels are overwhelming remember there isn’t a GMO wheat crop.
What is the Green Industry?
The green industry 2014 Horticulture Product sales were $21,774,000 alone in DE cash receipts of greenhouse/nurseries. Sales are very dependent on consumers wants and needs. Although that isn’t a major difference from other industries the difference lies in the time needed to grow and produce plants that can take years. This is important for the horticulture industry to stay on top of current and future trends. The people that make up the industry are producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, golf courses, and other suppliers. Retailers help bridge the gap between people and horticulture plants with the displays of plants and shrubs placed together at stores. Consumers then have a visual of how to place the plants within their own homes and are more intrigued to purchase the plants. Landscapers have deep knowledge of plants and their needs and of land maintenance and design.
Nursery production is categorized into six main production types, which include containerized, B&B, bare root, field grow bag, balled and potted, and in-ground containers. The nurseries are producing two types of crop groups. One of the crop groups is Floriculture crops. These are your bedding and garden plants. The other is Nursery crops, such as broadleaf evergreens and deciduous shrubs.
To be able to contribute to the green industry our land has to be healthy. To ensure that, Delaware Livable Lawns, is a voluntary certification program, that certifies homeowners and lawn care companies that follow environmentally friendly fertilizer application practices and teach homeowners on the best practices to use.
I enjoyed this guest lecture by Tracy and Valann introducing us to the greens industry. First off, I don’t have much background knowledge of this industry at all, aside from my personal experience tagging along on trips to nurseries or flower shops with my parents. I thought that Tracy and Valann both were super charismatic, and I loved how they both emphasized that you never know where your life and career will take you. I also thought it was a great perspective to have someone who’s background was in the business world, who just sort of fell into an Ag industry. An introduction to many facets of the industry was provided by these two women, so I learned a little bit about everything. I never realized how vast of an industry it is. I also thought that there’s so much business involved in this sector of the Ag industry. This lecture made me think about the food industry, and how the business side of the industry always desperately wants scientists who also understand the business side. It highlights to me the importance of business knowledge, no matter what field you go into.
There are 10 genetically modified crops commercially sold in The United States. These crops include alfalfa, apples, canola, corn, cotton, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, squash, and sugar beets. The reason that these crops are genetically modified are varied. These reasons include to prevent crops from browning, herbicide tolerance, blight resistance, drought tolerance, disease resistance, insect resistance, and low acrylamide. What really surprised me was that fact that most of these crops were genetically modified in the 90s and early 2000s. I did not realize that we had the technology to genetically modify crops at that time. Although there are only 10 crops genetically modified sold commercially in the Untied States these crops are used in order to make many other foods. I am very glad that I looked closer in to genetically modified crops and what specific crops are genetically modified. To be honest I thought there were than 10 crops that were genetically modified. None the less, I am very interested in furthering my knowledge on this topic.
According to Monsanto’s website, there are 10 commercially available crops in US grocery stores today.
I liked how Monsanto provides info on a few other crops that may be commonly misconceived to be GM. Seedless watermelon, grape tomatoes, and baby carrots are a few examples that have evolved by traditional selective breeding.
Also, GM Salmon has been on the shelves in Canada for a while now, but is still being debated for use in the US.
https://monsanto.com/innovations/biotech-gmos/
On October 17th 2018 the AGRI130 class had the pleasure of guest speakers Tracy Wooten and Valaan Budischak. These women first spoke about what exactly the “Green Industry of Delaware” was. The Green Industry of Delaware includes horticulture among other types of agriculture. Horticulture is the art or practice of garden cultivation and management. This entails a large variety of planting methods from greenhouses, farming, and even growing plants in your home garden. At first I was not aware of how big the green Industry was in the state of Delaware. However, I learned quickly that this is a very important part of Delaware’s Economy. For example, in 2014 Delaware’s Green Industry from $21,744,000 from sales. The shear amount of money was mind-boggling to me. This was a very interesting and thought provoking guest lecture discussion. Before this guest lecture I thought that this was a very basic and not that interesting of a topic. However, now that I have heard exactly what the Green Industry of Delaware is I am really interested in this topic.
After Dan Severson’s guest lecture on the Livestock Industry in Delaware, he wanted us to find out how many crops are made with GMO’s. I find out that there are actually ten crops that are grown with GMO’s. The ten crops are alfalfa, apples, canola, corn (field and sweet), cotton, papaya, potatoes, soybeans, squash and sugar beets. Honestly, I didn’t know this was possible but am glad I do now. I will think more about the crops I will possibly buy the next time I go to a supermarket or farmers market.
I’m really interested when our guest speakers decide to tell us about their experience through college and what has led them to where they are today. Valann Budischak’s past experiences have definitely stuck out to me as I was reflecting back on their presentation. She majored in business while in college, which led her to work her way towards being a regional account manager for Dewalt Black & Decker. Her career path changed once she had two kids and didn’t want to live on a train or a plane anymore commuting for long hours. She took a chance and was accepted to be an executive director for the Delaware Nursery & Landscape Association. I am definitely starting to believe that you just need to pick a path and life will lead you where you are meant to go. In regard to their speech about Delaware’s Green Industry, I never realized how big of a market it is. It makes a lot of sense as many homeowners, restaurants, golf courses, all want to look presentable and plants have always been a great option. This creates so many possibilities within this market. Some of these jobs include producers, retailers, landscapers, land managers, suppliers, etc. I am glad I was exposed to an industry that I previously didn’t give much thought or attention to.
Genetically Modified Crops have been controversial among some people and groups who are unaware of the science involved and how it will affect them when they eat the crops. In 2014, 181.5 million hectares are planted with GMO crops in 28 countries. Half of the hectares are genetically modified soybeans, 30% is maize, 14% is cotton, and 5% is canola. The crops that are modified to be herbicide tolerant are alfalfa, canola, cotton, maize, soybean and sugar beet. Crops that are insect resistant are cotton, eggplants, maize, and poplar. Other crops are modified to be more nutritious, different colors, longer lasting, or drought resistant are canola, carnation, maize, papaya, petunia, potato, rose, soybean, squash, sugar cane, and tobacco. Crops can have several traits that are modified together to make the crop more resistant against a wider variety of herbicides and insecticides. The majority of GMO crops are only four crops which are soybeans, maize, cotton, and canola while the other crops are only grown in very small numbers comparatively and only encompass 1% of the GMO crops planted.
The horticultural industry is a sizeable business within Delaware. The total horticultural product sales in Delaware in 2014 was $21,774,000. They produce two different products that are floriculture crops, such as bedding and garden plants, and nursery crops, such as trees, plants for home use, and evergreens. The total grower sales nationwide was $8.0 billion for Nursery crops and Floricultural crop sales was $4.8 billion. The major crops are split up into nursery stock, bedding/garden plants, sod, potted flowering plants, and mushrooms. Christmas trees are one of the most popular horticultural products sold in Delaware and the Delaware Christmas Tree Growers Association a big part of the horticultural industry. It was really interesting to learn about how important marketing and design is when selling plants. Designing displays for the plants that the customer will see is a major factor in selling plants as it educates them about what their house will look like if they purchase the plants. Retailers have specialized and made their customer service better to attract new customers who are not as knowledgeable about plants.
Mark Davis was very passionate about the horse racing industry. It was really interesting to hear him talk about how important the industry is. I, personally, am not a big fan of horses (for some reason hey scare the bejesus out of me) so to hear that the industry in 2014 totaled $182 million to Delaware’s economy along with providing 1500 jobs was just amazing to me. I never realized how many people went to horse races, bet on them, raised horses, trained them, and rode them. It all started back in the era of the Crusades when they brought back Arabian Stallions which were built unlike any other horse we had known up until that time. By 1530 we had had our first horse race in England. Today, horse racing is a big part of Delaware but sadly it is decreasing around the rest of the country. Delaware Horse Racing Redevelopment passed to revive the horse racing industry back in 1994 which is why horse racing has been growing in Delaware once again. We need to realize the importance of horse racing and bring it back into the lime-light.