Typical plan of a mediaeval English manor, showing the use of field strips

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food (produce, grains, or livestock), fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production.^[1] Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, community, corporation or a company. A farm can be a holding of any size from a hectare^[2] to several thousand hectares.^[3]

Etymology[link]

Farmer harvesting crops with mule-drawn wagon, 1920s, Iowa, USA

The word in the sense of an agricultural land-holding derives from the verb "to farm" a revenue source, whether taxes, customs, rents of a group of manors or simply to hold an individual manor by the feudal land tenure of "fee farm". The word is from the medieval Latin noun firma, also the source of the French word ferme, meaning a fixed agreement, contract, ^[4] from the classical Latin adjective firmus-a-um meaning strong, stout, firm.^[5][6] As in the medieval age virtually all manors were engaged in the business of agriculture, which was their principal revenue source, so to hold a manor by the tenure of "fee farm" became synonymous with the practice of agriculture itself.

Farming[link]

Overhead irrigation, center pivot design

The term farming covers a wide spectrum of agricultural production work. At one end of this spectrum is the subsistence farmer, who farms a small area with limited resource inputs, and produces only enough food to meet the needs of his family. At the other end is commercial intensive agriculture, including industrial agriculture. Such farming involves large fields and/or numbers of animals, large resource inputs (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.), and a high level of mechanization. These operations generally attempt to maximize financial income from grain, produce, or livestock.

Traditionally, the goal of farming was to work collectively as a community to grow and harvest crops that could be grown in mass such as wheat, maize, squash, and other cash crops. Centuries later these same farmers took charge of livestock, and began growing food exclusively for the feeding of livestock as well as for the community. With the growth of civilization the farmer's focus changed from basic survival to that of financial gain. In smaller towns on the outset of civilization the farmer did retain the need to grow their own food, but the financially minded farmer was largely spreading. With the Renaissance came the plantation, a farm primarily worked by others primarily for the gain of the plantation's owner. Then came a new age of industry where the farm could be staffed by fewer people and big machines. This meant a complete revolution for farming.

Types of farms[link]

A typical North American grain farm with farmstead in Ontario, Canada

Farmlands in Hebei province, China

A business producing tree fruits or nuts is called an orchard; a vineyard produces grapes. The stable is used for operations principally involved in the training of horses. Stud and commercial farms breed and produce other animals and livestock. A farm that is primarily used for the production of milk and dairy is a dairy farm. A market garden or truck farm is a farm that grows vegetables, but little or no grain. Additional specialty farms include fish farms, which raise fish in captivity as a food source, and tree farms, which grow trees for sale for transplant, lumber, or decorative use. A plantation is usually a large farm or estate, on which cotton, tobacco, coffee or sugar cane, are cultivated, often by resident laborers.

Types of farming[link]

• Collective farming
• Factory farming
• Intensive farming
• Protected culture farming
• Organic farming
• Vertical farming
• Fell farming

Specialized farms[link]

Dairy farms[link]

A milking machine in action

Dairy farming is a class of agriculture, where female cattle, goats, or other mammals are raised for their milk, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy for processing and eventual retail sale.

In most Western countries, a centralized dairy facility processes milk and dairy products, such as cream, butter, and cheese. In the United States, these dairies are usually local companies, while in the southern hemisphere facilities may be run by very large nationwide or trans-national corporations (such as Fonterra).

Dairy farms generally sell the male calves borne by their mothers for veal meat, as dairy breeds are not normally satisfactory for commercial beef production. Many dairy farms also grow their own feed, typically including corn, alfalfa, and hay. This is fed directly to the cows, or stored as silage for use during the winter season. Additional dietary supplements are added to the feed to improve milk production. ^[7]

Poultry farms[link]

Poultry farms are devoted to raising chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other fowl, generally for meat or eggs.^[8]

Prison farms[link]

Prison farms are farms which serve as prisons for persons sentenced to hard labor by a court. On prison farms inmates run the important tasks of a farm, producing crops. ^[9]

Ownership[link]

Typical cattle yard in Northern Iowa, USA

Farm control and ownership has traditionally been a key indicator of status and power, especially in Medieval European agrarian societies. The distribution of farm ownership has historically been closely linked to form of government. Medieval feudalism was essentially a system that centralized control of farmland, control of farm labor and political power, while the early American democracy, in which land ownership was a prerequisite for voting rights, was built on relatively easy paths to individual farm ownership. However, the gradual modernization and mechanization of farming, which greatly increases both the efficiency and capital requirements of farming, has led to increasingly large farms. This has usually been accompanied by the decoupling of political power from farm ownership.^{[citation needed]}

Forms of ownership[link]

In some societies (especially socialist and communist), collective farming is the norm, with either government ownership of the land or common ownership by a local group. Especially in societies without widespread industrialized farming, tenant farming and sharecropping are common; farmers either pay landowners for the right to use farmland or give up a portion of the crops.

Roll of barbed wire used to mark fence line on cattle farms

Farms around the world[link]

Australia[link]

Cows grazing on a farm in Victoria, Australia

Farming is a significant economic sector in Australia. A farm is an area of land used for primary production which will include buildings.

Where most of the income is from some other employment, and the farm is really an expanded residence, the term hobby farm is common. This will allow sufficient size for recreational use but be very unlikely to produce sufficient income to be self-sustaining. Hobby farms are commonly around 5 acres (20,000 m²) but may be much larger depending upon land prices (which vary regionally).

Often very small farms used for intensive primary production are referred to by the specialization they are being used for, such as a dairy rather than a dairy farm, a piggery, a market garden, etc. This also applies to feedlots, which are specifically developed to a single purpose and are often not able to be used for more general purpose (mixed) farming practices.

In remote areas farms can become quite large. As with estates in England, there is no defined size or method of operation at which a large farm becomes a station.

Regardless of size, the term station is only used for farms where the main activity is grazing. Some cotton farms in north-western New South Wales or south-western Queensland have been formed by combining previous sheep stations once sufficient water has become available to allow cotton to be grown.

United Kingdom[link]

In the UK, farm as an agricultural unit, always denotes the area of pasture and other fields together with its farmhouse, farmyard and outbuildings. Very large farms, or groups of farms under the same ownership, may be called an estate. Conversely, a small farm surrounding the owner's dwelling is called a smallholding and is generally focused on self-sufficiency with only the surplus being sold.

North America[link]

Farming near Klingerstown, Pennsylvania

Traditional Dutch farmhouse

The land and buildings of a farm are called the "farmstead."^{[citation needed]} Enterprises where livestock are raised on rangeland are called ranches. Where livestock are raised in confinement on feed produced elsewhere, the term feedlot is usually used.

In 1910 there were 6,406,000 farms and 10,174,000 family workers; In 2000 there were only 2,172,000 farms and 2,062,300 family workers.^[10]

In the United States, eighty-one percent of all farmworkers are migrant workers, and seventy-one percent are foreign-born.^{[citation needed]} Eighty percent of farmworkers are men, with the average age being 31.^{[citation needed]} Additionally, farmworkers earn less than $75,000 per year, making an average hourly rate of less than $27.00.^{[citation needed]} On average, one-half of all farmworker families earn less than $10,000 per year,^[11] which is significantly below the 2005 U.S. poverty level of $19,874 for a family of four.

In 2007, corn acres are expected to increase by 15% because of the high demand for ethanol, both in and outside of the U.S. Producers are expecting to plant 90.5 million acres (366,000 km²) of corn, making it the largest corn crop since 1944.^[12]

Farm buildings[link]

Farms require buildings to facilitate the action of farming the material at hand. Such buildings can include a farm house (for the farmers), a grain silo (for storing grain), and a barn (for the storing of certain animals.)

Farm equipment[link]

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

Agriculture and Agronomy portal

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Adams, Jane H. (July 1988). "The Decoupling of Farm and Household: Differential Consequences of Capitalist Development on Southern Illinois and Third World Family Farms". Comparative Studies in Society and History 30 (3): 453–482. DOI:10.1017/S0010417500015334. 
• Blackbourn, David (1998). The Long Nineteenth Century: A History of Germany, 1780–1918. New York: Oxford University Press. 
• Clark, Christopher (2006). Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600–1947. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. 
• Gregor, Howard F. (July 1969). "Farm Structure in Regional Comparison: California and New Jersey Vegetable Farms". Economic Geography (Economic Geography, Vol. 45, No. 3) 45 (3): 209–225. DOI:10.2307/143091. JSTOR 143091. 
• Grigg, David (July 1966). "The Geography of Farm Size a Preliminary Survey". Economic Geography (Economic Geography, Vol. 42, No. 3) 42 (3): 205–235. DOI:10.2307/142007. JSTOR 142007. 
• Schmidt, Elizabeth (1992). Peasants, Traders, and Wives: Shona Women in the History of Zimbabwe, 1870–1939. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Farms

Look up farm or farmstead in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• "Tiny Farm Wiki". http://tinyfarmwiki.com/. 
• "Farming styles and extension in broadacre cropping". The Australian Society of Agronomy. http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/1998/7/275howden.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-18. 
• "What is Sustainable Agriculture?". University of California. December 1997. http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm. Retrieved 2007-04-18. 
• Diver, Steve (August 2002). "Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources". The ATTRA Project. http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/perma.html. Retrieved 2007-04-18. 
• "Tiny Extremadura Farm". http://my11.net/. 
• Open Source Ecology

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2011)

China Anne McClain
China Anne McClain, 2011
Background information
Born	(1998-08-25) August 25, 1998 (age 13)[1] Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Genres	Pop, dance
Occupations	Actress, singer, songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, keyboard, violin, flute,
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Hollywood/Walt Disney
Associated acts	McClain Sisters
Website	chinaanne.net

China Anne McClain (born August 25, 1998) is an American teen actress, singer, and songwriter. Her father and mother are singer producers. She has two sisters, Sierra and Lauryn, forming the group McClain Sisters. As of August 2011, China has amassed more than $600,000 throughout her career.^[2] China's career began in 2005 when she was seven years old acting in the movie The Gospel. However, she became nationally known after 2007, when she joined the cast of the series Tyler Perry's House of Payne as Jazmine Payne, and internationally as Chyna Parks, the star of the Disney Channel Original A.N.T. Farm.

Disney released the soundtrack of the television series ANT Farm on October 11, 2011. McClain sings six songs and two solos with her sisters on the soundtrack, which debuted in the Billboard 200 at number 29 with 14,000 copies sold in its first week. The release containing the hit song Calling All the Monsters that reached the eighty-sixth spot on the Billboard Hot 100. There are plans to release an album with her siblings in 2012 published by Hollywood Records under the moniker The McClain Sisters.

Career[link]

[edit] 2005–10: Early work and Tyler Perry's House of Payne

McClain was discovered in 2005 by a music executive who heard her sing and encouraged director Rob Hardy to audition her for his 2005 feature film The Gospel alongside Boris Kodjoe and Idris Elba.^[1] Her role caught the attention of Tyler Perry, who cast her as Jazmine Payne in the television series Tyler Perry's House of Payne.

She appears in the movie Daddy's Little Girls with her real-life sisters, Sierra and Lauryn who are also actresses, play her older sisters in the film. Her father, Michael McClain, is a music producer. Her mother, Shontell, is a songwriter. McClain appeared in and guest starred in various other shows and movies such as Hannah Montana with Sierra McCormick, NCIS and the 2009 film Hurricane Season. She also appeared in the movie Grown Ups as Charlotte McKenzie. In the same year when she landed a recurring role as Kiara on Jonas L.A. and was featured on the Jonas L.A. soundtrack.

[edit] 2011–present: A.N.T. Farm, McClain Sisters and music career

McClain appeared on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place in 2011 as Tina in one episode entitled "Wizards vs. Angels". In 2011, McClain was cast as the lead role in the Disney Channel series A.N.T. Farm with Sierra McCormick from Hannah Montana and Jake Short, along with Carlon Jeffery, and Stefanie Scott. For the show, McClain recorded a cover of Taio Cruz's "Dynamite". She also sings the series theme song, "Exceptional". China Anne's first music video, for "Dynamite", premiered on July 23, 2011 on Disney Channel. After less than a week, more than 1 million views on YouTube were reported. She has appeared in an episode of PrankStars. She also appeared in the Chiddy Bang Opposite Of Adults music video. For the Disney Channel Halloween special in 2011, she performed the song, "Calling All The Monsters".

As of June 14, 2011 the McClain Sisters was signed with Hollywood Records.^[3] The A.N.T. Farm soundtrack was released on October 11, 2011, featuring China Anne's version of "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. On September 28, 2011, China Anne released "Calling All The Monsters" to iTunes. "Calling All The Monsters" charted number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On November 24, 2011, China preformed her song "Unstoppable" in the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

McClain Sisters performed a new song called "Rise" at the Mall of America on March 11, 2012. It will be the lead single off their upcoming album, as well as the Disneynature film Chimpanzee. The song premiered on the iTunes Store on March 23, 2012, with the music video premiering on March 26. The video premiered during an episode of Austin & Ally and was uploaded onto Youtube the next day. It will also be featured as a Disney Friends For Change anthem.^[4]

Personal life[link]

McClain was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys singing with her sisters Lauryn and Sierra McClain. She also has a little brother who appeared on the A.N.T. Farm episode where Paisley and Lexi fight over who is going to be the entertainment for a child's party. Her little brother plays Greg on the show.

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Soundtrack albums[link]

Singles[link]

Other appearances[link]

Music videos[link]

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• China Anne McClain at the Internet Movie Database
• China Anne McClain on Twitter