Here are the answers to your farm questions.
-
Chickens lay mostly white and brown eggs. You can buy both kinds at the
grocery store and directly from some farmers.
-
A plow is a tool made out of steel that is very sharp and cuts into the earth
and turns it over as it is pulled through the fields.
-
An average bale of hay weighs about 60 pounds. One of the big rolls of hay you
might see stacked at the edge of hay fields weigh as much as 30 bales of
hay--about 1800 pounds. Farmers cover the rolls with plastic to preserve them
from the elements. (That means the sun, rain and snow won't hurt them as much).
-
I'm sure you can name more than five. I will list just some that can be on a
farm. Cows, both dairy and beef; horses, both for pleasure and work; chickens,
geese, ducks, turkeys, sheep, goats for meat and milk; rabbits, pigs and dogs
and cats of course.
-
A farmer does not need a tractor to work his farm. Many farmers (like the
Amish) use draft horses to pull their plows and farm implements. Horses are
quieter and can reproduce themselves. They have been used for centuries to
help man with all his heavy work. One of the largest breeds is the Percheron
from France. It can weigh as much as 2400 pounds (that's a lot of horse!) and
was used to carry knights into battle with heavy armour. You are probably
familiar with the Clydsdale breed from Scotland. They are the ones used in the
commercial in the eight-horse hitch for Anheiser-Busch Co. Most farmers do use
tractors to make their work easier. Some of the kinds of tractors you might
see are: John Deere (the ones that are green with the yellow deer), FarmAll and
NewHolland (which are usually red), and Case (which is also red).
-
A crop is something that is grown or cultivated for market or for personal use.
Corn is a crop; as are wheat and soybeans. Tomatoes are a crop and you could
call beef cattle a crop as well, though usually a crop is a plant.
-
A truck garden is where produce is grown for market. All of the vegetables we
eat are grown in truck gardens or green houses. A kitchen garden is one that
is at your home for the cook (usually your Mom) to gather food for the table.
Even kings have had kitchen gardens so they didn't have to depend on others for
fresh food for their tables. I don't think they worked in the garden
themselves but they liked the fresh food.
-
A dairy cow can produce an average of 40 pounds of milk a day. That's about 5
gallons for each cow. The average for a year is 1400 pounds. The state with
the most milk production is Wisconsin and the breed with the highest records
has been the Holstein--the black and white cows.
-
Baby ducks follow their parents to the water as soon as they leave the nest.
In the springtime watch for familes of ducks and geese on ponds--the little
yellow or brown and yellow fuzzy spots behind the parents are the ducklings.
-
Baby horses and cows (foals and calves) try to stand as soon as possible after
birth--they're hungry!!
-
Organic farming is the method used to raise animals and grow crops without the
use of synthetic chemicals. This is one way to reduce pollution of our food.
We have only used chemicals since around 1900. Now most foods are produced
with the use of chemicals. For a food to be labeled "organic" it must meet
strict rules and guidelines set by the government. If you do not use any
chemicals in your home garden, all of your produce is organic.
|