How Do American Farmers Produce Billions of Tons of Food | American Farming

How Do American Farmers Produce Billions of Tons of Food | American Farming

Currently, the United States only imports 20% of the food it consumes, and in recent years, major food crops, including soybeans, corn, potatoes, wheat, sweet potatoes, and Bali, all have been grown within the borders. Today we are going to see some of these crops and explore how large fields in the United States contribute to billions of tons of food.

The first crop on our list is soybean. According to statistics for 2021, soybean is grown in 15 states across the country, of which Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota are the states with the largest soybean growing areas. In Minnesota, about 7.7 million acres of farmland are used to produce soybeans. In the meantime, there are 88.3 million acres dedicated to soybean cultivation across the United States. On average, it takes around 85 days from the time that seeds are sown until soybeans may be harvested.

To put it simply, soybeans are a plant that is incredibly simple to cultivate. Spraying pesticides and fungicides on soybean plants and ensuring that they receive an adequate amount of water are often the primary responsibilities of the farmers. The majority of soybeans are harvested from fields located in counties such as Waseca, Nobles, and Nicollet.

The state of Minnesota as a whole produces approximately 356 million bushels worth of soybeans annually. That is equal to 21,300,000,000 pounds. In the meantime, the total amount of soybeans produced in the country is 4.4 billion bushels. At the moment, Illinois is the state that produces the most soybeans in the entire country. With a total of 672 million bushels, Illinois is responsible for producing 16% of the total national crop. In addition, Iowa is also a large producer of soybeans, accounting for 11% of total production in the United States with its 494 million bushels of output. Up to 79% of soybeans are used for animal feed, with poultry being the major consumer. Soybeans are also used for making soybean oil. In addition, the nation ships over 1.7 billion bushels of soybeans each year, which have a total worth of approximately 26 billion dollars when exported.

Following soybeans, we have corn. The country outputs billions of bushels of the crop every year in April and that is when it is put up for sale. The total corn acreage in the United States in 2022 is approximately 90 million. One acre of corn requires approximately 600,000 gallons of water over the course of its existence. According to figures provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, most corn varieties grown today require approximately 100 to 115 days before they can be harvested. Iowa with its 12.9 million acres of corn-growing land, is the state that dominates every other in the United States. The state of Illinois comes in second place with 11 million acres.

The third cop for today is wheat. The harvest takes place around the middle of June on the majority of the wheat farms located in the state of Kansas. The area that can be used for growing wheat in Kansas is estimated to be 7.6 million acres in 2022. This makes Kansas the state with the most potential wheat land in the entire country. There are currently 37.7 million agricultural acres across the United States that are utilized for the cultivation of wheat, and the harvest amounts to about 1.65 billion bushels. Following the completion of the harvesting process, wheat will be driven by truck to warehouses where it will be stored.

And last but not least, let’s explore almonds. Midway through the month of February is typically when the process of planting almond trees gets underway. It is now the ideal moment for the buds to begin to form from the seedlings. When winter first starts to set in, most people get around to pruning their almond trees. In most cases, it takes between three and four years from the time that almond trees are planted until the first crop can be harvested. And because almonds are a plant that requires a lot of water, the irrigation systems need to be maintained and used in a consistent manner.

In general, almond trees have a lifespan ranging from 25 to 28 years, and the fruit harvest with this tree decreases from the 20th year and beyond. When the awe blossoms appear, which is typically between the months of February and March, millions of honey bees are dispatched to the area to pollinate the flowers. Almond flowers have a striking resemblance to the flowers that grow on plum and pear trees. The amount of time that passes between blossoming and harvesting almonds is typically between five and six months, although this varies depending on the weather. An almond harvesting season includes shaking the tree until all the fruit finally drops to the ground. Then comes the gathering of almonds, which is quite analogous to olives or cherries.