Mixed Crop and Livestock
Emily Zambrowicz
Mixed crop and livestock farming is the most common form of commercial agriculture in the United States.
Where?
Mixed Crop and Livestock are primarily in the Midwest of the United States and in much of Europe from France to Russia. The farming region in the U.S. extends from Ohio to the Dakotas, and it is frequently called the Corn Belt. Corn is the about half of the cropland and soybeans is the second.
Mixed Crop and Livestock is a commercial agriculture in MDCs.
Agriculture Region
Who?
Many farmers in the Midwest use mostly machinery for crops, along with workers to help run the machines. For Livestock, farmers hold the animals in fences and stalls. They feed them with feeders throughout the field and in the stalls. For dairy livestock they might use automatic milking which was developed in the 20th century.
Importance
Most of mixed crop farming is used to feed the livestock, while livestock is used to feed and benefit humans.
The two farming methods balance the workload evenly. In the winter the main focus is the livestock since the fields are unable to grow anything during that time, and in the spring and fall the fields need more attention and so does the livestock since they require year-long attention; however, during that time farmers may decrease the amount of livestock so they can focus on both the mixed crops and the livestock, evenly.
Personal Connections
My Grandpa and his brother's own two farms and a lot of land in Hobart, they grow lots of crops such as corn and soybeans. My grandma runs a livestock farm with male cows and calves, while his brother runs a dairy farm with female cows and calves.