Agriculture In US Essay, Research Paper

Since the agricultural transformation began in the United States, the United

States only seemed to improve agriculturally. The Western Hemisphere was the

first to progress towards this transformation, displaying the United States as a

leader in agriculture. As stated by Dan Hillel in The Agricultural

Transformation, ?The Agricultural Transformation is very likely the most

momentous turn in the progress of humankind?The ability to raise crops and

livestock, while resulting in a greater and more secure supply of food,

definitely required attachment to controllable sections of land, and hence

brought about the growth of permanent settlements and of larger coordinated

communities.? Thus, this transformation ensured a supply of food and ended the

need to roam about for food. This development was an important change in the

structure of society, also a step in building a prestigious reputation as being

a leader in agriculture. It gave United States a sense of organization and

strength which indeed helped in its development. ?Simply put, agriculture

means raising things on purpose, and the American Indians were the first farmers

in the Western Hemisphere,? said by R. Douglas Hurt in the article

Mesoamerican Origins. The American Indians (Mesoamericans) agriculture became

more complex. They learned how to grow crops such as tomatoes, beans, and a wide

variety of plants. They also learned other techniques such as clearing land and

also irrigation. Because of their success, other Mesoamericans began to settle

and also adopted their fellow Mesoamerican farming techniques. Agriculture

became more and more popular and important that the white settlers also began to

farm. Over time, as farming became more popular, the United States thrived on

agriculture. It became an important issue especially to Thomas Jefferson. He was

a key person in leading the agricultural development of the United States.

Thomas Jefferson believed in agrarianism and thought highly of farmers. An

agriculture leader should understand why agriculture is important and how to

improve and also maintain a good status agriculturally. And Thomas Jefferson

held all these qualities. He did what was best for the farmers as well as others

in the United States. And by him being a great leader agriculturally, many

others in the government kept his ideas in mind. That is what made this country

strong, we develop from our past and in effect our country has grown stronger.

For example, In 1970- a farmer could provide enough for 2 people In 1935- a

farmer could provide enough for 10 people In 1992- a farmer could provide enough

for 127 people In 1998- a farmer could provide enough for over 130 people This

shows a growth in efficiency. But now only 2% of the population in the United

States are farmers, meaning that only 2% of our population produces for the

whole nation. Although this percentage is extremely low, it displays that we are

agriculturally strong. Even other countries of the world depend on our

agriculture. United States exports about 40% of what we produce. United states

has grown from a society of hunter-gatherer to a society of agriculture. United

States has improved in agriculture over time and has made it become stronger and

in turn a leader. In conclusion, United States is the world leader in

agriculture due to the people, the land, leadership, development and strength,

United States has the ability maintain all qualities and also improve.