Transcript THE AGRICULTURAL CORE

THE AGRICULTURAL CORE
(CHAPTER 11)
Introduction
• The "agricultural core" is outlined on the map on page 241.
• Overlaps in the east with the "manufacturing core”
– The early demands of agricultural producers stimulated
urban development and growth in manufacturing.
• Location is sometimes referred to as the "Middle West”
– Reflects a carry-over from the days of eastern seaboard
dominance
• Culturally - a region of farms and factories; comprised of
a dispersed, rural, white, Protestant population and a
clustered, urban, Black and immigrant population.
• “Agricultural core” refers not to geographical location, but
to an area of cultural intensity - small town and rural.
Population Composition
•
Predominantly white culture originating from
Northwestern Europe
– Germany, The Netherlands, British Isles, and Scandinavia.
 Settled by the late 1800s
 Shows neither extreme of America's social, political, or
economic spectra.
 Houses a limited Black population
 Economic opportunity was limited, except in major
metropolitan areas, during major migration periods.
 Much of the agricultural core has declined in
population since the 1930s.
Physical Geography
• Climate
 Entire region receives >30 inches of rainfall each
year, with the southern margins receiving >40
inches.
 Most rain falls during the growing season, from April
through November.
 Limited variability in rainfall over a ten year period.
Rainfall amounts, frequency, and timing are all
beneficial.
 Growing seasons average around five months.
 Region experiences a continental climate.
Physical Geography
 Relief
 Gently rolling - not too flat, nor too hilly
 Resists erosion
 Enhances proper drainage
 There are very few unused areas.
 The topography is conducive to large-scale
mechanization.
Physical Geography
 Soils
 Generally of good quality
 Two major types
 Alfisols
 Generally found east of central Iowa, except
for central Illinois and southern Wisconsin.
 Formed under conditions of moderate
moisture and associated with coniferous or
mixed forests.
 Have a thin surface horizon that is deficient in
humus, but the B horizon has not been
leached.
Physical Geography
 SOILS (cont)
 Mollisols
 Generally found west of Central Iowa.
 Formed under grasses rather than
forests.
 Characterized by a dark brown to black
color and are rich in organic matter.
 Have a deep surface horizon and are
among the most fertile soils in the world.
Soils
Accessibility Network
• Blessed with a natural system of inland
waterways.
• The Great Lakes, and the Ohio, Mississippi,
and Missouri Rivers serve all portions of the
region and permit the easy and inexpensive
shipment of goods.
• The network has long facilitated transportation
and economic interaction throughout the region
and beyond.
Carrying Capacity
• The number of people that an area can
support given the quality of the natural
environment and the level of technology of the
population
• Especially significant within the agricultural
core because the region has a tremendous
carrying capacity and is capable of hosting a
much larger population.
Agriculture
• Major Producing Areas/Products
 Corn Belt
 Feed grain & livestock farming-the dominant system
 Historically, corn has been best suited for the
environment and ensured a good economic return.
 Three crop rotation system was developed by 1820.
 Advantages of corn
 High grain yields
 It can be grown close together
 One can use stalks and leaves as silage
 Environmentally suited to the climate and soil.
Agriculture
 Dairy Belt
 Located in Wisconsin and Central Michigan
 Climate prevents feed grain maturation.
 Farmers rely on silage, oats, barley, and hay
crops to support large dairy herds.
 Produces a large proportion of the country's dairy
products
 Accounts for 1/2 the total cheese output
Agriculture
 Fruit Growing Regions
 Along the shores of Lake Michigan in
Wisconsin and Michigan
 Cherries and apples
 Along the shores of Lake Erie
 Grapes
Agriculture
•
Soybean Substitution
 Act as a soil “reconditioner” and increase the nitrogen
content
 Environmental requirements for soybeans are broad.
 Versatile –
 Eat the bean directly.
 Mill it to produce vegetable oil or meal.
 Use it as livestock feed.
 Serve it as grain.
 Use it as a meat or milk supplement.
 Great demand on the world market and is stable
 Enables a two year rotation
Agriculture
• Mechanization and Farm Size (TRENDS)
– Increasing emphasis on large scale
mechanization
– Increasing farm size
– Decreasing number of farms in the region
Key Terms
• Silage
– Refers to fodder (livestock feed)
– Prepared by storing & fermenting green forage in a silo.
• Fallow
– Pertains to agricultural land that has been plowed or tilled
but left unseeded during a growing season.
– Conserves moisture but also has a restorative effect.
• Porkopolis
– A nickname given to Cincinnati by the 1830s
– Based on the intensive hog raising activities of the
surrounding area in Southern Ohio.
Township
and
Range
System
Township Divided into Sections
1 SQ MI
Section Divided into Acres
THE AGRICULTURAL CORE
(CHAPTER 11)