Crop farming

Farmed crops are a major source of food for human and raw materials for industries. Human has cultivated plants for sustenance ever since. 

In the modern times, these crops are further processed to make substances for various other uses. And due to population increase, new technologies have emerged to enable farmers to grow crops at higher yields, larger size, and with more resistance to pests and insects.

Farms can be run as small family farms of less than 10 acres or as a commercial one with sales of at least $250,000. They could be managed intensively as a small project or run with the latest in farming technology. But just the same, farmers of crops of any size face basically the same forces and challenges.

Crop Farming Yield and Profitability

To make the most out of the land and time resources invested for each crop, every farmer aims to reach the maximum cost effective yield for every crop. Yields are affected by factors such as pests, insects and weeds and by the ability of the soil to nurture the crop. Crop-rotation is often employed to allow the soil to replenish the nutrient consumed by specific crops and to prevent the proliferation of pests and insects.

Crop farming is subject to various forces that constantly change – weather, demand, regulations, and prices. As such, profitability in crop farming is not only a function of yield and costs, but also of these market forces. For a farm to profit, it must adroitly deal with these forces.