NEW! Weekly ag. article feature in The Denmark News!
Lashawna Vogel |
Erin Van Pay |
January 2021
Week 1: |
Hydroponics: What is it?
By: Lashawna Vogel Denmark FFA President Have you ever wondered if plants could be grown without soil? Figuring out how to grow plants in something other than soil was not of high interest to many until the early 20th century. One of the first well-known hydroponic systems started around the early 1940s, where this method was used on the soilless Wake Island located in the Pacific Ocean. Hydroponics is simply growing plants in a nutrient solution without using soil. Now, the International Greenhouse Vegetable Production- Statistics says about 489,214 hectares or 1.2 million acres of vegetables were grown in greenhouses or hydroponics systems. While hydroponically growing plants can be expensive, it is a great approach to eliminating food insecure areas, making it possible to grow vegetables and other plants in urban areas, along with a few other uses. In 2019, the hydroponic industry was estimated at 8.1 billion dollars and it is predicted that number will increase by a little over 12% to, in 2025, reach 16 billion dollars. The method of hydroponically growing plants has very high yields, which is one of the main factors in the industry’s growth. For areas experiencing food insecurity, especially in places where droughts, floods, and other natural disasters occur frequently, hydroponics would allow food to be grown indoors so fresh, healthy food options are available in these areas that are considered food deserts. Here are some essential items needed for hydroponics are fresh water, oxygen, root support, nutrients for the plants, and light (can be natural or artificial). Plants may be grown in various ways, but the main difference is whether the plants will be grown vertically or horizontally. The Denmark Ag. Department currently has two hydroponic towers located in Denmark High School that have grown lettuce, strawberries, and a few other plants. |
Week 2: |
Dairy Farming Around Wisconsin
By: Erin Van Pay Denmark FFA Reporter Dairy farming has been a part of Wisconsin since the late 19th century. Although Wisconsin did not start out as a dairy state it is now known for its dairy products, especially cheese. The first generation of Wisconsin farmers considered wheat their main crop, but in the mid 19th century dairy replaced wheat. The number of dairy cows began to increase rapidly and more than 90% of Wisconsin farms were raising dairy by 1899. Many of the original dairy farmers were New Yorkers who settled in the southern part of Wisconsin between 1840-1850s. At this time New York was the leading dairy producer in the nation and brought many skills with them to Wisconsin. They had the skills needed for commercial dairy, butter, and cheese production. Many farmers produced cheese rather than butter because it kept longer without refrigeration in that time period. With the help of original farmers there is now no other state in the U.S. that has the same access to exceptionally produced dairy as Wisconsin. This could not have happened without the great dairy farmers that are dedicated to caring for their animals to make sure people like you get quality products. Studies show that as of November of 2020, there were 1,259,000 dairy cows in Wisconsin producing 2.49 billion pounds of milk each month. All of this milk, thanks to farmers, is turned into your favorite dairy products that you love! Wisconsin is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation’s total dairy farms, 95% being family owned. The dairy industry in Wisconsin is very well known but slowly dairy farms are starting to decrease and become less popular. Overall, Wisconsin has an incredible dairy industry and is well known for the cheese production along with the hard work of dairy farmers. Thank you to all of the dairy farmers who dedicate their time to care for the cows so we can have exceptional products! |
Week 3: |
All About Chickens
By: Lashawna Vogel Denmark FFA President Have you heard more chickens are living on Earth than people? Regardless of if you have heard this before or not, chickens do outnumber people on Earth with about 23.7 billion chickens, where there are only 7.8 billion people. In the early 1900s, chicken meat and eggs were considered a delicacy. During this time, chickens were not fed the same way they are today; instead, they were to forage for what they could find. The irregular supply of food for chickens only allowed them to lay about 80 to 150 eggs per year, and their lack of shelters led to higher death rates among the birds. If you jump ahead to the 1950s and 1960s, this is when chickens started to no longer be a luxury food item because a majority of families could purchase a chicken of their own to raise. Now chickens are used for two primary purposes: egg-laying and broilers or meat chickens, with chicken being the most consumed meat in America. Chickens typically lay an egg once every 26 hours; the record for the most eggs laid in one day by a chicken is seven eggs and 371 eggs in a full year. Unlike how brown cows can’t produce chocolate milk, the color of a chicken’s earlobe does predict the color of the egg they will have. For example, a chicken with white earlobes will lay white eggs, and one with red earlobes will lay brown eggs. Chickens used for their meat, which are also known as broiler chickens, can be raised as quickly as four weeks and up to six weeks to a mature weight of 12 pounds for males and 8 pounds for females. Some of the slower-growing breeds of broiler chickens can take 14 or more weeks to fully mature. The most common species of egg-laying chickens are White Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds. For broilers, the best breeds are the Cornish Cross and the Jersey Giant. Another interesting feature of chickens is their wings, chickens can’t fly well, but they are relatively fast runners at a top speed of nine miles per hour! If this fun fact about chickens scares you, you might have alektorophobia, an intense fear of chickens. |