AGR201: General Agriculture

Agriculture is the production of food, feed, fiber, fuel, and other goods through the systematic raising of plants and animals. It encompasses farming, tending orchards and vineyards, and ranching. Ordinarily, agriculture means the cultivation and tillage of the soil of a field, in order to prepare a suitable seedbed, eliminate weed growth and improve the physical condition of the soil. Farming covers a wide spectrum of practices, ranging from subsistence agriculture (traditional production of food for family consumption and animal feeding), intensive agriculture, and industrial agriculture to animal traction and farm mechanization. All these activities have a common objective of maximization of financial income from grain, produce, or livestock.