Chapter 11: The Agricultural Core

Waterways of Florida

 

Farming in Florida 

Chapter 11 discusses farming in terms of farm size as well as other specifics regarding farming. Here are some interesting facts I found regarding farming in Florida.

In 2008 Florida accounted for:

-- 71 percent of the total U.S. value of production for oranges ($1.5 billion)
-- 68 percent of the total U.S. value of production for grapefruit ($179 million)
-- 52 percent of the total U.S. value of production for snap beans ($172 million)
-- 51 percent of the total U.S. value of production for sugarcane for sugar and seed ($448 million as of 2007)
-- 44 percent of the total U.S. value of production for fresh-market tomatoes ($622 million)
-- 40 percent of the total U.S. value of production for bell peppers ($267 million)
-- 39 percent of the total U.S. value of production for cucumbers for the fresh market ($94 million)
-- 29 percent of the total U.S. value of production for watermelons ($140 million)
-- 27 percent of the total U.S. value of production for tangerines ($58 million)
-- 21 percent of the total U.S. value of production for sweet corn ($157 million)

Farms and Land in Farms

In 2008 Florida had 47,500 commercial farms, using a total of 9.25 million acres.  There were 5,300 farms with sales exceeding $100,000.  The average farm size was 195 acres.  The number of farms in Florida has increased by 2,500 over the past 10 years.

Year	Total Number of Farms	Total Acres	Average Farm Size
2008	47,500	9,250,000	195 acres
2007	47,500	9,300,000	196 acres
2006	41,000	9,460,000	231 acres
2005	42,000	9,570,000	228 acres
2004	43,200	9,830,000	228 acres
2003	44,000	10,040,000	228 acres
2002	44,000	10,300,000	234.1 acres
2001	44,000	10,300,000	234.1 acres
2000	44,000	10,400,000	236.4 acres
1999	45,000	10,500,000	233.3 acres

Information above was obtained courtesy of the following website: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/agfacts.htm

As you can see, the highest production was of Oranges! Who would have guessed?

Source of picture: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/agfacts.htm

Chapter 10: Southern Coastlands: On The Subtropical Margin

Finally, a chapter that directly relates to Florida!

For those of you who don't know what the Southern Coastlands consist of, here is a highlighted on the US map to give you a general idea.

 Source of picture: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/GEO/



The Southern Coastlands is a humid, subtropical place that appeals to many visitors and attracts new residents regularly.

Key west, which is located in the Florida Keys, is the southernmost point, and it lies only 60 miles from the tropic of cancer.

The Following is an image of the Florida Keys:

 

Source of Image: http://www.findrentals.com

When it comes to agriculture in Florida, what is one of the first things that come to mind? You guessed it! Sweet, sweet citrus! As our textbook states, out of the seven major citrus fruits grown in Florida, oranges and grapefruit are the most important. In fact, in 1997, production reached up to 10 million tons. 

Image of Citrus Grove in Centeral Florida. Source: www.Fao.org

Florida's central highlights which lie about 30 to 46 meters above sea level, are under land by sandy soils with moderately poor to very poor water-retention capacity. 

Above is an image to help you better understand irrigation.

Citrus and vegetable growing areas yield annual output as much as ten times more valuable when crops are irrigated than when precipitation is the sole source of moisture.

Additional Sources:

-http://www.fws.gov/pacific
-Course Text (Regional Landscapes of United States and Canada 7th edition)

Chapter 9: The Changing South

Reading the chapter made me realize something I never expected, something almost humorously ironic in a way. I got really excited when I thought the chapter would finally relate to my location of choosing, Florida, and I would have a lot of information to relate to.

However, as the chapter states, the southern culture is not coincidental with the census South. Peninsular Florida and coastal Texas, which are both locationally the most southern states, are in fact the least imbued with the South's culture.

Northern Florida is in fact considered part of the changing south. Southern Florida, however, is in the transitional area.

Northern Florida, as opposed to Southern Florida, is less industrialized and more prominent in agriculture. However, this is changing over time.

In fact, as our text book shows, Southern Florida (and later all of Florida) was one of the first areas to replace coal with electricity as a primary home heating fuel.

Chapter Eight: Appalachia and the Ozarks

Appalachia does not directly relate to Florida, however I will talk about early settlement in Florida, since this chapter talks about early settlement from Appalachia's European people.


Early Settlement in Florida:

Picture of: Juan Ponce de León


Juan Ponce de León was a Spanish explorer who explored the area where Florida is today in 1513. Florida was being held by colonial rule by both Spain as well as Great Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries. Soon after, in 1822, it became a territory of the United States and was fully considered a state in 1845.

Additionally, I noticed that one similarity in early settlement between Florida and Appalachia is the settlement of Europeans. 

Statistical information from: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536600025.html

Chapter Seven: Bypassed East

After reading up on the Bypassed East, I have come to learn that it is a place in which living conditions are difficult (with the exception of a few areas) due to climate and terrain.

"The Bypassed East is not an easy place in which to live and work. Its harsh climate, hilly terrain, and thin, rocky soils limit agriculture, except in a few particularly blessed locations. Few mineral resource deposits of substantial size have been found until recently. Coupled with a small local market and relative isolation, this has limited the development of manufacturing. The advantages that the area does offer thus become relatively more important."

source:
http://countrystudies.us/united-states/geography-12.htm

Picture: Thin rocky soil makes agriculture difficult in the Bypassed East.

Chapter FIVE: Manufacturing Core

The North American Manufacturing Core

Although Florida is not a part of the core, it still has important relation to manufacturing.

In terms of the workforce, I learned that Florida has a powerful and efficent workforce, which has been also known to have an advantage since most manufacturers are able to conduct business overseas.

 

"Florida manufacturers are a powerful economic engine for the state’s economy. Many Florida manufacturing operations benefit from the presence of advanced research facilities at Florida’s universities and colleges, military installations, and NASA.The industry cluster counts nearly 18,000 manufacturers who employ close to 371,000 workers across the state." 

- Source: http://www.eflorida.com/Manufacturing.aspx?id=154

Additionaly, I learned about Florida's Emplyo Florida Banner Center for Manufacturing. Here, they work to provide curriculum, training, and certification resources for developing florida's manufacturing production workforce, while aiming to expand its diverse manufacturing industries. 

Read more about them at

http://www.banner-mfg.org/about.htm