Grades 3–5
Understanding modern food production
Growing and Growing
Identifying different types of farm equipment; understanding
biotechnology (W.3.2; W.4.2; W.5.2)
Farmers have a lot of people to feed. How do they do it?
One way is using modern farm equipment. Show students
photos of a tractor, plow, combine, and cultivator (scroll down).
Explain that the tractor took the place of using oxen and horses
to pull wooden plows and of sowing, cultivating, and harvesting
by hand; the seed planter puts seeds in the ground in evenly
spaced rows; the combine does the job of cutting and gathering
crops, separating out the edible portions, and separating out
the largest pieces; and the cultivator helps prepare the soil.
(If desired, you can easily find videos showing each piece of
equipment in action on YouTube.) Then have students each
choose one of the farm machines to write about and tell
how it helps farmers do their jobs better.
Next, explain to students that farmers also work to
increase the amount of crops they raise in other ways, too.
This is important because there may not be enough land,
time, or resources to continually plant more crops to feed
a growing world. Introduce the term biotechnology. Lead
students in breaking the word into pieces—bio-(meaning
life, living matter); techno- (meaning technique, skill); and
-ology (meaning study of). Lead students to see that this is
the scientific process of producing plants and animals that
are faster growing, yield more food, and resist disease (and
therefore reduce pesticide use). It is a way for farmers to ensure
a productive crop to meet the food needs of the world.
Did you know?
To keep up with world
population growth,
farmers will need to
double food production
by the year 2050 to
feed 9 billion people
worldwide.
Extend the learning: Ask students to brainstorm the types of
jobs involved in inventing and creating new equipment and
technologies to increase food production. What kinds of
scientists are involved? What do other workers contribute? List
examples on the board.
©2012 Alliance to Feed the Future, www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org. Text and design by The Education Center, Inc.
The development of this curriculum is made possible, in part, by a grant from Farm Credit.
®
Farm equipment
®
cultivator
combine
©2012 Alliance to Feed the Future, www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org. Text and design by The Education Center, Inc.
The development of this curriculum is made possible, in part, by a grant from Farm Credit.
seed planter
tractor and plow
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / lunamarina
© Can Stock Photo Inc. / Tund
Grades 3–5
Understanding modern food production
A Super System!
Understanding the benefits of the modern food
production system (RI.4.2)
Food system
innovatio
n cards
At this learning center, students understand how
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innovation cards and activity labels. Glue each
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©2012 Alliance to Feed the Future. Text and design by The Education Center, Inc.
The development of this curriculum is made possible, in part by a grant from Farm Credit.
www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org
®
Modern Food Production 4
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Food System Innovation Cards
The cotton gin was
invented by Eli Whitney,
1793. The cotton gin
separates cotton fibers
from their seeds—a job
that previously had to
be done by hand.
Sir John Lawes founded
the commercial fertilizer
industry, 1843.
FERTILIZER
Joseph Glidden patented
Glidden barbed wire,
1874. Ranchers and
farmers could contain
their animals instead
of having them roam.
Barbed wire fencing
allowed more people to
settle and farm in the
American West.
Carrots
Frozen foods were
introduced to the
public, 1930.
Thomas Moore invented
the icebox refrigerator,
1801.
The first mixed chemical
fertilizer was sold
commercially, 1849.
John Froelich built
the first gas-powered
tractor, 1892.
For the first time, the
number of tractors on
farms exceeded the
number of horses and
mules, 1954.
Cyrus McCormick
patented the reaper,
1834. The first reaper
could harvest as much
grain as five workers.
The factory he built
eventually became a
large company called
International Harvester.
John Deere and
Leonard Andrus began
manufacturing steel
plows, 1837. By 1855,
John Deere’s factory
sold over 10,000 plows
per year.
In 1863, Louis Pasteur
invented pasteurization,
which kills harmful
bacteria in foods and
beverages. The first US
milk processor to
install pasteurization
equipment was
Sheffield Farms Dairy in
Bloomfield, NJ, in 1891.
The first steam tractors
were used, 1868.
Otto Rohwedder
introduced the breadslicing machine, 1928.
In 1930, Wonder Bread
began selling presliced,
bagged bread.
Clarence Birdseye
invented a system for
flash-freezing food,
1923. His system was
based on observations
of the Arctic people,
who froze fish in barrels
of sea water. He sold
his patents in 1929 for
$22 million.
In 1994,
farmers began
using satellites to
monitor their
fields and create
computer models of
the soil, elevation,
and slope to most
efficienctly plant,
fertilize, and water their
crops.
The mechanical
tomato harvester was
developed, 1959.
©2012 Alliance to Feed the Future, www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org. Text and design by The Education Center, Inc.
The development of this curriculum is made possible, in part, by a grant from Farm Credit.
®
Activity Labels
Improves safety
Improves efficiency (more work with
fewer people)
Increases the amount of food
produced
Makes products more convenient
for consumers
©2012 Alliance to Feed the Future, www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org. Text and design by The Education Center, Inc.
The development of this curriculum is made possible, in part, by a grant from Farm Credit.
®