FARMING

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Kamis, 27 September 2007

Easier - Farming was once the chief way of life in nearly every country. People cannot live without food, and nearly all their food comes from crops and animals raised on farms. Many other materials such as cotton and wool also come from plants and animals raised on farms. Not many people farm for a living any more, but farming remains the most important occupation in the world.

Harder - Prior to the twentieth century, the typical American family lived on a small farm. They raised hogs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and planted corn, fruits, garden vegetables, hay, and wheat. Everyone worked long and hard, but the results were often meager. Families barely harvested enough food for themselves. This situation began to change during the last half of the 1800's and it changed remarkably in the next century.

Scientific methods and labor-saving machinery have made farming increasingly productive. The development of improved plant varieties and fertilizers has helped double and even triple the yields of some major crops. Scientific livestock care and breeding have helped increase the amount of meat and products that animals produce. At the same time, the use of tractors and other modern farm equipment has sharply reduced the need for farm labor.

As farming has become less important as a way of life in the United States, it has become more important as a business enterprise. Today's successful farmers are expert not just in agriculture but also proficient in accounting, marketing, and finance. Farms that are not run in a businesslike fashion have great difficulty surviving.

Selasa, 25 September 2007

SEPUTAR PETERNAKAN

Musik Klasik untuk Bikin Babi Gemuk




Banyak cara untuk menggemukkan hewan ternak. Namun, cara yang dipilih peternak Vietnam, Nguyen Chi Cong, tergolong unik. Dia menggunakan musik klasik karya Bethoven, Mozart, dan Schubert untuk menggemukkan 3.000 ekor babi miliknya.

Metode penggemukan ini ditemukan Nguyen secara tidak sengaja enam tahun lalu. Saat itu dia menyetel musik klasik keras-keras di peternakan sekadar untuk menghibur para pekerja. Ternyata musik itu juga disukai ternak babi. Sejak mendengarkan musik karya Bethoven, Mozart, dan Schubert, nafsu makan ternak itu terus bertambah. Berat ternak itu pun bertambah lebih cepat dari biasanya.

"Saya kira saya peternak pertama di Vietnam yang menggunakan teknik ini," kata Nguyen yang menyetel lagu-lagu klasik karya komposer-komposer Eropa dua kali sehari, yakni pukul 07.00-11.00 dan 14.00-16.00. Saat ini sejumlah peternak di Vietnam dilaporkan mulai meniru cara yang dipilih Nguyen untuk menggemukkan ternak babi. Karena itu, jangan heran jika peternakan babi di Vietnam nantinya riuh rendah dengan alunan musik klasik. (REUTERS/AFP/BSW)



Sumber: Kompas