North America Agriculture. Major "belts" of the United States Transport system of Canada

Agriculture is a branch of agriculture, the process of cultivating the soil, in which a crop of certain crops is obtained. Agriculture in North America is very developed, especially in such developed countries as Canada and the United States of America. The territory of North America is usually divided into agricultural poles.

Corn belt

The so-called "corn belt" is located in the United States and occupies the states of Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and other states located in the Midwest of the United States. The name of the belt speaks for itself: fertile soils rich in nitrogen are favorable for the cultivation of corn. The volumes of corn grown are enormous. Most of it is destined for livestock feed, some is exported, and some remains on the domestic market.

Figure: 1. Corn fields of North America.

Wheat Belt

The wheat belt covers the territories of Canada and the United States. In Canada, wheat is grown in the provinces of Manitoba and Albert; in the United States, this crop occupies Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North and South Dakota. The soils are black earth, just suitable for a good harvest of cereals. Spring wheat is sown in the north of the belt, winter wheat in the south. In addition to wheat, other grain crops are also grown here: rice, barley, sorghum. Cereals are a major contributor to US exports.

Cotton Belt

This belt was formed in the south of the United States of America, namely in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana. This culture has been cultivated here since the 17th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, cotton production was at a very high level. This was due to fertile soil and slave labor. Gradually, the soil exhausted all its resources and production began to fall. Some of the cotton grown is processed locally, and some is exported to other countries.

Figure: 2. Cotton fields of North America.

In recent decades, tobacco and peanuts have been cultivated in this area. It is the United States that accounts for the majority of the tobacco export market. Tobacco is grown in Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia.

Many territories are gradually changing their focus. Where previously they were exclusively engaged in the cultivation of some crops, others now dominate. This is a natural process that cannot be stopped.

Milk belt

The milk belt occupies the southeastern territory of Canada and the northeastern territory of the United States of America. There are farms that specialize in dairy products. Vast meadows and fields are used for grazing and growing forage crops for them.

Not only the agriculture of the USA and Canada are developed. Other North American countries also have their own successes. For example, Mexico is the world leader in the collection of avocados, Guatemala - in the collection of nutmeg, Costa Rica has succeeded in growing pineapples.

The United States is characterized by an exceptional variety of forms of agriculture. It can be argued that all its main types found in economically developed countries of the West are represented here. It is not surprising that the agricultural regions of the United States began to form in the late 19th century. Over time, the extraordinary variety of natural conditions, ever higher marketability, the development of transport providing transportation of bulk goods created the preconditions for the narrow specialization of not only individual farms, but also entire areas, which in the United States are usually called belts.The number of such belts - depending on the degree of detail in the study - can vary quite significantly. But in the most generalized form, they are usually distinguished by 9 (Fig. 191). It should be borne in mind that in recent decades, some of these belts, such as cotton, have undergone a significant transformation, while others have changed much less.

Milk beltThe United States was formed in the Lake District and in the Northeast under conditions of a relatively short growing season and marginal soils. The main part of agricultural land is occupied by improved pastures and hayfields, and many field crops are cultivated for green fodder. Milk, butter, cheese are sold in big cities and agglomerations. There are also dairy and cheese-making enterprises here. The most typical dairy farming is for the southeastern part of Minnesota, for Wisconsin, and northern Illinois. The cow population is especially high here, and dairy farms with tall silos form the bulk of the countryside. The state of Wisconsin takes the first place in the production of milk, butter and cheese (more than 100 varieties).

Figure: 191.Agricultural areas (belts) in the USA

Corn beltThe United States formed in the southern part of the Central Plains, where the soil and climatic conditions are extremely favorable for the cultivation of this crop. This primarily refers to the chernozem-like soils of the plains, which have a very high natural productivity. In the corn crop rotation, soybeans are usually grown, the crops of which have grown especially after the Second World War, so this belt would now be correctly called corn-soybean. Both crops are used primarily for the production of compound feeds and concentrates necessary for fattening cattle and pigs, which has also been taking place in the corn belt for a long time, giving its agriculture a mixed farming-livestock focus. The food industry of the belt has a corresponding profile.

In the center of the corn belt is Iowa, the country's second largest corn and soybean producer. In some counties of the state, this crop occupies more than 70% of the cultivated area. Iowa ranks first in the United States in terms of the number of pigs, which reaches 16 million (with a population of 3 million people). The neighboring state of Illinois can be considered a kind of "twin" of Iowa, giving 1/5 of the corn harvest and 1/6 of the soybean harvest in the country, and second only to Iowa in terms of pig population. In addition, the corn belt in the west includes part of the territory of the states of Kansas and Nebraska, in the north - part of Wisconsin and in the east - parts of Indiana and Ohio.

The settlement of the vast territory of the corn belt, starting from its eastern outskirts, the Ohio Plains, expanded widely after the adoption of the famous Homestead Act in 1862 (during the Civil War). This act, which granted every American citizen the right to a parcel of land (homestead) west of the Appalachian Mountains, marked the victory of farming. The entire perfectly flat area of \u200b\u200bthe plains was divided into so-called townships - squares 6 miles long and 6 miles wide, that is, an area of \u200b\u200b36 square meters. miles (93.2 km 2). In turn, each square mile in such a township was subdivided into four parts of 64.5 hectares. One such portion was provided for the ownership of the family farm. Usually from 16 to 36 townships were united in one county or county - county.

All this clear system of "chess" squares has survived to this day (Fig. 192). In most counties in Illinois and western Indiana, farms account for more than 90% of the total land area, and in Iowa and the surrounding areas of Kansas and Nebraska even 95%. Each town has its own economic center - a small town with all the necessary services (market, church, school, post office, bank, hotel, restaurant, gas station). So it is not at all accidental that, using the example of the state of Illinois, who worked here in the 1930s. the famous German scientist August Lösch substantiated his concept of central places.

Figure: 192.The scheme of cutting townships and individual farms in the USA: 1) dividing the territory into townships; dividing the township into squares; 3) dividing the square into farms

To the west of the corn plant is located an equally famous wheat beltUSA. Geographically, it coincides with the Great Plains, which began to be widely used for agriculture only in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. - after the extermination of huge herds of buffalo, as well as the extermination and displacement of local Indian tribes. The prairies of the Great Plains, which had very fertile soils but a drier climate, proved to be the most suitable for wheat crops. Tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe poured into these places, and in a short time the prairies were also plowed up. The further history of the area was full of ups and downs, but recently the level of its development is relatively stable. The wheat belt gives 20-25 million tons of this crop per year. True, the main flour mills have already developed beyond its borders - in Minneapolis, Kansas City and other cities.

Figure: 193.Wheat farm plan in Kansas

As it is easy to see (Fig. 191), the US wheat belt consists of two separate parts - northern and southern, which differ greatly in both agro-climatic and cultural-ethnic conditions.

In the northern part (North and South Dakota), winters are too frosty and windy, so that only spring wheat ripens here. This part is commonly referred to as the spring wheat belt. The population here is sparse, almost entirely farming, there are practically no big cities. Most of the farms are so narrowly specialized in wheat that they can be called a kind of monoculture of this belt.

In the southern part (Nebraska and Kansas), where the summers are much hotter and drier, winter wheat is cultivated, which has time to mature before the summer droughts. This is a winter wheat belt. But the profile of agriculture here is broader - primarily due to the fact that in recent decades it has also specialized in fattening cattle and other livestock; therefore, crops grown on local farms are usually more diverse (Fig. 193). Large meat processing plants also appeared in cities.

The discrepancy between the timing of harvesting in the spring and winter wheat belts, and in other areas adjacent to them from the south, leads here to the use of such a rational method as the transfer of harvesting equipment (combines) from south to north as the wheat ripens. Moreover, it is usually harvested not by the farmers themselves, but by special firms that send both equipment and labor, which begin harvesting in the spring in Texas and finish it in early autumn in North Dakota and Montana (Fig. 195). During the harvest season, the combines usually work 16 hours a day. But the operator's work is made easier by the pressurized cabin with air conditioning that protects it from the heat and the thorny heads of the threshing grain.

The entire history of the American South is associated with the monoculture of the "cotton king" and the formation of cotton belt.Cotton has been grown in the United States for over two centuries. The main areas of cotton growing first became the southeastern states, where cotton was grown without irrigation, using the labor of blacks - first slaves, and then tenant-sharecroppers (croppers). Then the cotton belt moved further to the west - to Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, stretching for 2,500 km and becoming the largest cotton growing region in the world.

But after World War II, the situation changed dramatically. Traditional cropping has virtually disappeared, and former Negro tenants have moved to cities in the North and South. By the 1980s. the old cotton belt was washed out. Large cotton plantations survived only in the lower Mississippi, while much of production shifted to Texas and the southern Highlands, where highly productive "cotton factories" emerged on irrigated lands (with gravity and drip irrigation).

Figure: 194.Route and schedule of movement of mechanized columns for harvesting wheat

As for the rest of the South and the adjacent regions of the North, a vast region has formed here, which we, with a large degree of convention, called the region of diversified agriculture. In general, it is most typical for the cultivation of cereals such as wheat and corn, industrial crops such as peanuts, tobacco, cotton, as well as beef cattle and poultry (broilers).

In the western part of the United States in recent decades, the most extensive pasture beef cattle beltwith separate centers of rainfed and irrigated agriculture, the largest of which is located in the North-West. This belt covers all of the Mountain States and the adjacent parts of the Great Plains and the Pacific States.

The main specialization of this belt is the raising of young beef cattle breeds. Until relatively recently, it took place mainly on natural pastures, on large cattle rancheswith thousands and even tens of thousands of cattle and hundreds of cowboys. However, now on such ranches, corralled pasture is widespread, in which the pasture is divided into separate pens, and livestock is periodically driven from one paddock to another. In this case, the need for shepherds (cowboys) is eliminated, and the degree of use of feed is increased. Young animals from such ranches are sent to grow in the states of the winter wheat belt, and then to fatten and slaughter in the states of the corn belt.

But recently in the beef cattle-breeding belt their own "meat factories" have also appeared. These are huge fattening farms, where up to 100 thousand head of livestock can be kept, but not on pastures, but in stalls. For this purpose, pens for 200-250 heads each are built right under the open sky, in which the feeding and watering of animals is carried out using automatic equipment, and the dosage is determined using computers. These "meat factories" usually serve large cities such as Los Angeles.

The rest of the areas are located in the coastal areas of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. They specialize in horticulture and horticulture both in the temperate zone and in the subtropical and tropical zones (Florida, California, and Hawaii). Rice and sugarcane are the main crops for the area along the Gulf Coast. And more than half of the total potato harvest in the country comes from two states located in the extreme Northwest - Idaho and Washington.

In terms of the total production of commercial agricultural products, the corn belt is in the lead.

Belts - are called regions of the country, which are united by the similarity of one or another characteristic.

As a rule, the names of the belts are unofficial, but their name is very popular and widespread among the population.

Today in the United States of America there are a large number of belts, below we will describe only the most popular of them.

"Bible Belt"

"Bible Belt" - refers to a region in the United States, which is inhabited mainly by people of the Evangelical religion, so to speak, Protestants.

This belt includes the following states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

As you can see, this is mainly the South of the United States of America. Historically, the position of Protestant organizations is very strong here, the largest of which is the Southern Baptist Convention. Among the population there is a very large percentage of believers among the population.

In the state of Tennessee is the city of Nashville, which is also called the "Bible belt buckle".

"Black belt"

In the south-east of the United States of America there is a "Black Belt", as the name implies, mainly black Americans live here.

Previously, the term used to describe the dark soil of this region, which is very good for farming. But later, thanks to the fertile soil, a lot of black slaves were brought here and the modern name changed its meaning.

The Black Belt region includes the following states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Delaware.

"Mormon Corridor"

The so-called "Jelly Belt" refers to the western region of the United States. It is usually home to a large number of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are better known in the world as Mormons.

Since the second half of the 19th century, the first Mormon settlements began to form here. The belt includes the following states of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and California.

The comic name "Jelly Belt" comes from the belief that Mormons have one of their favorite dishes, which is prepared on the basis of jelly. Also the state of Utah, where most of the Mormons live, ranked first in the consumption of this product.

"Corn Belt"

The "Corn Belt" of the United States, or as it is also called "Grain", is an area located in the Midwest of the country.

Here, for a long time, traditionally, starting from the middle of the 19th century, corn was the main agricultural crop.

The "grain belt" of the United States is the real breadbasket of the country. Grain crops are grown here, in the first place is the cultivation of corn. Namely, this belt feeds the whole country and that is why it is so important.

The "Grain Belt" includes the following US states Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri.

"Rusty Belt"

"Rusty Belt" or as it is also called "Factory, Industrial", a region located in the North-East and Midwest of the country.

The main industrial enterprises of the country are concentrated here, such as steel, machine-building, automobile.

The belt got its name due to the decline of industry in the country in the early 70s of the last century. During that period, many US enterprises were closed and from them, "rusty iron" remained.

Later, when production in the region resumed, the belt began to be called "factory", but the old name is often used too.

The "Rust Belt" includes the following states of the country: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

"Sun Belt"

As the name implies, this includes states located in the South and Southwest of the United States. A warm climate and long hot summers prevail here. All major resorts of the country are located in this region.

The Sun Belt includes the following US states Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, California, Nevada, and Virginia.

Here is a brief summary of what we wanted to tell you about the belts of residence in the United States of America.

Forward\u003e

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The settlement of the vast territory of the corn belt, starting from its eastern outskirts, the Ohio Plains, expanded widely after the adoption of the famous Homestead Act in 1862 (during the Civil War). This act, which granted every American citizen the right to a parcel of land (homestead) west of the Appalachian Mountains, marked the victory of farming. The entire perfectly flat area of \u200b\u200bthe plains was divided into so-called townships - squares 6 miles long and 6 miles wide, that is, an area of \u200b\u200b36 square meters. miles (93.2 km2). In turn, each square mile in such a township was subdivided into four parts of 64.5 hectares. One such portion was provided for the ownership of the family farm. Usually from 16 to 36 townships were united in one county or county - county.

To the west of the corn belt is the no less famous wheat belt of the United States. Geographically, it coincides with the Great Plains, which began to be widely used for agriculture only in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. - after the extermination of huge herds of buffalo, as well as the extermination and displacement of local Indian tribes. The prairies of the Great Plains, which had very fertile soils but a drier climate, proved to be the most suitable for wheat crops. Tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe poured into these places, and in a short time the prairies were also plowed up. The further history of the area was full of ups and downs, but recently the level of its development is relatively stable. The wheat belt gives 20-25 million tons of this crop per year. True, the main flour mills have already developed beyond its borders - in Minneapolis, Kansas City and other cities.

Figure: 2. Plan of a wheat farm in Kansas

The wheat belt of the United States consists of two separate parts - northern and southern, which differ greatly in both agro-climatic and cultural-ethnic conditions.

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