Farm 59790 225118692 2008-07-11T23:38:34Z ClueBot 4928500 Reverting possible vandalism by [[Special:Contributions/96.243.136.215|96.243.136.215]] to version by Numbo3-bot. False positive? [[User:ClueBot/FalsePositives|Report it]]. Thanks, [[User:ClueBot]]. (438207) (Bot) {{otheruses}} {{portalpar|Agropedia}} A '''farm''' is an area of land, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of '''farming''', the production and management of food, either [[produce]] or [[livestock]] (see also [[ranch]]ing). It is the basic production facility in [[agriculture|food production]].<ref>Gregor, 209; Adams, 454.</ref> Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, or community, or by a corporation or company. <!-- subsistence farming?--> A farm can be a holding of any size from a fraction of a [[hectare]] to several thousand hectares. A business producing tree fruits or nuts is called an ''[[orchard]]''; a ''[[vineyard]]'' produces raisins, wine or table grapes. The ''[[stable]]'' is used for operations principally involved in the production of horses and other animals and livestock. A farm that is primarily used for the production of milk and dairy is a ''[[dairy farm]]''. A ''[[market garden]]'' or ''truck farm'' is a farm that raises vegetables, but little or no grain. Additional specialty farms include [[Fish farming|fish farms]], which raise fish in captivity as a food source, and tree farms, which grow trees for sale for transplant, lumbering, or decorative use. A [[plantation]] is usually a large farm or estate, on which cotton, tobacco, coffee, or sugar cane, are cultivated, usually by resident laborers. The development of [[farming]] and farms was an important component in establishing [[town]]s. Once people have moved from hunting and/or gathering and from simple horticulture to active farming, social arrangements of roads, distribution, collection, and marketing can evolve. With the exception of [[plantation]]s and colonial farms, farm sizes tend to be small in newly-settled lands and to extend as transportation and markets become sophisticated. Farming rights have been the central tenet of a number of revolutions, wars of liberation, and post-colonial economics. <gallery> Image:Ontario farm.jpg|A typical North American grain farm with farmstead in [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] Image:Round_farm_2007.jpg|Farmland in the USA. The fields are round due to [[pivot irrigation]]. Photo taken from the window of an airliner Image:chinafarmland.jpg|Farmlands in [[Hebei|Hebei province]], [[PRC|China]] </gallery> {{TOCright}} == Etymology== The word came via French ''ferme'' from [[Late Latin]] ''firma'' = "fixed payment" from [[Latin]] ''firmus'' = "firm, solid", and originally referred to a big [[landowner]] [[farm (disambiguation)|farming out]] his land among other men to run it, rather than running it all himself. As times have changed fewer people are needed to assist in running the farm because of the increase of mechanization. == Farming == {{see|Agriculture}} The term '''farming''' covers a wide spectrum of agricultural production work. At one end of this spectrum is the [[subsistence agriculture|subsistence farmer]], who farms a small area with limited resource inputs, and produces only enough [[food]] to meet the needs of his/her family. At the other end is commercial [[intensive agriculture]], including [[industrial agriculture]]. Such farming involves large fields and/or numbers of animals, large resource inputs (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.), and a high level of [[Mechanised agriculture|mechanization]]. These operations generally attempt to maximize financial income from grain, [[produce]], or [[livestock]]. Traditionally, the goal of farming was to create a profit, and to produce an amount of cultivated material (i.e. corn, wheat, etc) so that the resulting harvest has more worth than the cost of planting such a harvest. The costs could include the acquisition of seeds as well as the time and energy required to tend to such a venture. The resulting product is often used to sustain those who farm as both a food to eat and a commodity to sell. === Types of farming === * [[Collective farming]] * [[Factory farming]] * [[Intensive farming]] * [[Organic farming]] * [[Vertical farming]] * [[Fell farming]] == Specialized farms == ===Dairy farms=== {{main|Dairy farming}} [[Image:Cow milking machine in action DSC04132.jpg|left|thumb|200px|A milking machine in action.]] [[Dairy farming]] is a class of [[agriculture]], where female [[cattle]], [[domestic goat|goats]], or other [[mammal]]s are raised for their [[milk]], which may be either processed on-site or transported to a [[dairy]] for processing and eventual retail sale. In most [[western world|Western]] countries, a centralized [[dairy]] facility processes milk and dairy products, such as [[cream]], [[butter]], and [[cheese]]. In the [[United States]], these dairies are usually local companies, while in the [[southern hemisphere]] facilities may be run by very large nationwide or trans-national corporations (such as [[Fonterra]]). Dairy farms generally sell the male calves borne by their mothers for [[veal]] [[meat]], as dairy breeds are not normally satisfactory for commercial [[beef]] production. Many dairy farms also grow their own feed, typically including [[maize|corn]], [[alfalfa]], and [[hay]]. This is fed directly to the cows, or stored as [[silage]] for use during the winter season. Additional dietary supplements are added to the feed to improve milk production. <!-- sources to work into the text *http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312380/dairy.htm --> ===Poultry farms=== Poultry farms are devoted to raising chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other fowl, generally for meat or eggs. [http://library.thinkquest.org/TQ0312380/poultry.htm] [http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:nMkUV-XqSlYJ:www.alabamapoultry.org/beginner.html+what+is+Poultry+farming&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a] [http://www.cias.wisc.edu/archives/2003/01/01/largescale_pastured_poultry_farming_in_the_us/index.php] == Ownership == Farm control and ownership has traditionally been a key indicator of status and power, especially in [[agrarian societies]].{{Fact|date=April 2007}} The [[Distribution of property|distribution]] of farm ownership has historically been closely linked to [[form of government]]. Medieval [[feudalism]] was essentially a system that centralized control of farmland, control of farm labor and political power, while the early American [[democracy]], in which land ownership was a prerequisite for voting rights, was built on relatively easy paths to individual farm ownership. However, the gradual [[modernization]] and [[mechanization]] of farming, which greatly increases both the efficiency and capital requirements of farming, has led to increasingly large farms owned by individuals or corporations. This has usually been accompanied by the decoupling of political power from farm ownership. ===Forms of ownership=== In some societies (especially socialist and communist), [[collective farming]] is the norm, with either government ownership of the land or common ownership by a local group. Especially in societies without widespread industrialized farming, [[tenant farming]] and [[sharecropping]] are common; farmers either pay landowners for the right to use farmland or give up a portion of the crops. == History == {{main|History of agriculture}} The practice of agriculture first began around 8000 BC in the [[Fertile Crescent]] of [[Mesopotamia]] (part of present day [[Iraq]], [[Turkey]], [[Syria]] and [[Jordan]] which was then greener). <ref>{{cite web|url=http://visav.phys.uvic.ca/~babul/AstroCourses/P303/mesopotamia.html|title=The Fertile Crescent|accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref> == Farms around the world == ===British Isles and Europe=== [[Image:Hemshaw.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Many farms have fallen into disrepair, such as the ruins of ''Higher Hempshaw's'' in [[Anglezarke]], [[England]]]] In the UK, ''farm'' as an agricultural unit, always denotes the area of [[pasture]] and other [[field (agriculture)|fields]] together with its farmhouse and farmyard, [[barn]]s, cowsheds, stables, etc. In [[England]] there is a vague point when a large farm ceases to be referred to as a farm and becomes an [[Estate (land)|estate]]; although this term can refer to a collection of farms in the same ownership. ===North America=== [[Image:Farming near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Farming near [[Klingerstown, Pennsylvania|Klingerstown]], [[Pennsylvania]].]] {{Horticulture and Gardening}} The land and buildings of a farm are called the "farmstead." Enterprises where livestock are raised on [[rangeland]] are called ''[[ranch]]es''. Where [[livestock]] are raised in confinement on feed produced elsewhere, the term ''[[feedlot]]'' is usually used In 1910 there were 6,406,000 farms and 10,174,000 family workers; In 2000 there were only 2,172,000 farms and 2,062,300 family workers. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/graphics/data/fl_typwk.txt|title=National Agricultural Statistics Service|accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref> [[Image:Stirling.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Michelsen Farmstead]] [[List of provincial historic sites of Alberta|Provincial Historic Site of Alberta]], [[Stirling Agricultural Village]]]] In the United States, eighty-one percent of all farmworkers are [[migrant workers]], and seventy-one percent are foreign-born. Eighty percent of farmworkers are men, with the average age being 31. Additionally, farmworkers earn less than $75,000 per year, making an average hourly rate of less than $27.00. On average, farmworker families earn $10,000 per year, which is significantly below the 2005 U.S. poverty level of $19,874 for a family of four.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:GKoXVfUn4nwJ:www.farmworkers.cornell.edu/pdf/facts_on_farmworkers.pdf+migrant+workers+in+the+united+states&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us|title=Cornell University Department of Sociology|accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref> In 2007, corn acres are expected to increase by 15% because of the high demand for ethanol, both in and outside of the U.S. Producers are expecting to plant 90.5 million acres (366,000 km²) of corn, making it the largest corn crop since 1944.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2007/03_30_2007.asp|title=National Agricultural Statistics Service|accessdate=2007-04-20}}</ref> ===Australia=== Farming is a significant economic sector in Australia. A farm is an area of land used for primary production which will include buildings. Where most of the income is from some other employment, and the farm is really an expanded residence, the term ''hobby farm'' is common. This will allow sufficient size for recreational use but be very unlikely to produce sufficient income to be self-sustaining. Hobby farms are commonly around 5 acres but may be much larger depending upon land prices (which vary regionally). Often very small farms used for intensive primary production are referred to by the specialization they are being used for, such as a dairy rather than a dairy farm, a piggery, a market garden, etc. This also applies to feedlots, which are specifically developed to a single purpose and are often not able to be used for more general purpose (mixed) farming practices. In remote areas farms can become quite large. As with ''estates'' in England, there is no defined size or method of operation at which a large farm becomes a [[Station (Australian agriculture)|station]]. Regardless of size, the term ''station'' is only used for farms where the main activity is grazing. Some cotton farms in north-western [[New South Wales]] or south-western [[Queensland]] have been formed by combining previous sheep stations once sufficient water has become available to allow cotton to be grown . ==Farm buildings== [[Image:Pastoral-barn.jpg|thumb|200px|left|A pastoral farm scene with a classic red barn.]] Farms require [[buildings]] to facilitate the action of farming the material at hand. Such buildings can include a [[farm house]] (for the farmers), a grain [[Storage silo|silo]] (for storing grain), and a [[barn]] (for the storing of certain animals.) ==Farm equipment== {{main|Farm equipment}} *[[Baler]] *[[Combine harvester]] *[[Farm tractor]] *[[Mower]] *[[Pickup truck]] *[[Plough]] ==See also== {{wiktionary}} * [[Agriculture]] * [[Smallholding]] * [[Farm Shop]] * [[Museum of Scottish Country Life]] == Notes == {{Reflist}} ==References== <div class="references-small"> * {{cite web | url=http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/1998/7/275howden.htm | title=Farming styles and extension in broadacre cropping | accessdate=2007-04-18 | work=The Australian Society of Agronomy}} * {{cite web | url=http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm | title=What is Sustainable Agriculture? | work=University of California | accessdate=2007-04-18 | date=December 1997}} * {{cite journal | title=The Decoupling of Farm and Household: Differential Consequences of Capitalist Development on Southern Illinois and Third World Family Farms | first=Jane H. | last=Adams | journal=Comparative Studies in Society and History | volume=30 | issue=3 | month=July | year=1988 | pages=453–482}} * {{cite book | first=David | last=Blackbourn | title=The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany, 1780&ndash;1918 | year=1998 | location=New York | publisher=Oxford University Press}} * {{cite book | first=Christopher | last=Clark | title=Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600&ndash;1947 | year=2006 | location=Cambridge, Massachusetts | publisher=The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press}} * {{cite web | url=http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html | title=Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources | first=Steve | last=Diver |date=August 2002 | accessdate=2007-04-18 | work=The ATTRA Project}} * {{cite journal | title=Farm Structure in Regional Comparison: California and New Jersey Vegetable Farms | first=Howard F. | last=Gregor | journal=Economic Geography | volume=45 | issue=3 | month=July | year=1969 | pages=209–225 | doi=10.2307/143091}} * {{cite journal | title=The Geography of Farm Size a Preliminary Survey | first=David | last=Grigg | journal=Economic Geography | volume=42 | issue=3 | month=July | year=1966 | pages=205–235 | doi=10.2307/142007}} * {{cite book | first=Elizabeth | last=Schmidt | title=Peasants, Traders, and Wives: Shona Women in the History of Zimbabwe, 1870&ndash;1939 | year=1992 | location=Portsmouth, New Hampshire | publisher=Heinemann}} </div> [[Category:Farms]] [[Category:Human habitats]] [[Category:Land management]] [[Category:Rural culture]] [[Category:Rural geography]] [[ar:مزرعة]] [[bar:Bauanhof]] [[ca:Granja]] [[cs:Farma]] [[da:Bondegård]] [[pdc:Bauerei]] [[de:Bauernhof]] [[es:Granja]] [[eo:Bieno]] [[fa:کشتزار]] [[fr:Ferme (agriculture)]] [[it:Podere]] [[li:Haof (boerderie)]] [[nl:Boerderij]] [[nds-nl:Boerderieje]] [[ja:農場]] [[no:Gård]] [[nn:Gard]] [[nrm:Ferme]] [[pl:Farma]] [[pt:Fazenda]] [[ru:Ферма]] [[simple:Farm]] [[sk:Farma (gazdovstvo)]] [[sv:Bondgård]] [[tr:Çiftlik (ziraat)]] [[yi:שטאַל]] [[zh:农场]]