From the establishment of Virginia state in 1607 until around 1890, agriculture was the most important economic activity in the United States. The relative economic importance of agriculture in the 20th century has declined rapidly, but American agriculture is still the most effective and productive agriculture in the world. Its success depends on fertile soil, temperate climate, convenience of private land, growth of domestic and foreign agricultural markets, and application of science and technology in agricultural management.
In the United States, agriculture and forestry has a major impact on land use practices. After the US settled in the 16th and 19th centuries, major changes occurred in North America on land and aquatic habitats. Eastern forests are cut down to produce meadows and arable land. The prairie of the central state has become the granary zone of the country. The northwest forest clearly supplies timber to the country. Because the rivers in the western part are blocked, the dry land in that area can be used for cultivating agricultural products.
Important environmental problems of the country and the role of national ecological observation network
Since the beginning of agricultural transformation in the United States, America seems to have improved only in agriculture. The Western hemisphere is the first place to move towards this transition, looking at America as a leader in agriculture. As Dan Hillel mentioned in the transformation of agriculture, "The transformation of agriculture seems to be the most important change in human progress, managing the land components, thereby creating a permanent village and a larger coordination community Promote development. "
The trend of agricultural land loss is not optimistic about the future outlook of US agriculture. In the US it is estimated that more than 40 million hectares of agricultural land are at risk of being lost by exposure to wind and water. When this land is lost, people may find it harder to find agricultural products and the price may rise. Another major problem in agriculture is the overall reduction of crops and livestock breeds. In the early stages of agriculture, farmers planted various crops and planted various kinds of livestock. Since the development of industrial agriculture, the number of various kinds of crops and livestock has decreased. The decrease in species is due to the fact that producing large quantities of crops or livestock of the same kind is cheaper than producing multiple types of smaller batches.