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Period: to
history of agriculture
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NAFTA agreement
In October of 1992, president George H. W Bush signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This agreement was between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, which removed the trade barriers which ultimately opened the door for trade among the 3 countries. This caused an extreme rise in food exports to Mexico and Canada.
https://growinganation.org/content/show-content/4/127/ -
Dolly the Sheep
Dolly The sheep was the first mammal in the world to be cloned. She was cloned by an adult somatic cell. The Roslin institute in Scotland used a nuclear transfer from a cell that was taken from her mammary gland. This experiment proved that we can clone organisms from a mature cell from a certain body part. This discovery lead to international advancements with stem cell research. Dolly the sheep was euthanized on february 14, 2003 (not due to cloning)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_(sheep) -
Increased food safety
In January of 1997, President Bill Clinton decided to launch the President Food Safety Initiative due to the public outcry for better food safety. This promoted public health. The USDA started to improve the safety of our food from the farm to the kitchen table. Scientists created new way to reduce bacteria in meat, poultry and fresh produce. A system called Vertical Integration allowed farmers to control the quality, quantity and price of their foods. Farms then became more efficient. -
Global Food Safety Initiative
Due to the lack of consistency of a procedure that guaranteed food safety on an international scale, The consumer Goods Forum decided to jump into action. This led the to construction of the Food Safety Initiative in May of 2000. -
Farm security and rural investments act
This Act was signed by president george W Bush. this Act was passed because we needed to address the issues with the water and other environmental problems going on. The Conservation Security program involved a reward system for farmers who became more eco-conscientious. This program also increased funding for conservation programs by 80%. -
National Organic standards
In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act. It took over a decade to finally publish the national organic standards (2002), which played an important part in the processing of organic foods. Out of this, we got the organic certification seal is used as a marketing tool that gives to the consumer about specific requirements that have been achieved regarding the production of the foods that they purchase and consume. -
WIC Reauthorization Act
President George W Bush signed the child nutrition and WIC reauthorization act. This allowed the national school lunch act to be amended and encourage governments to improve access to more local food in schools. -
Energy Policy Act
This Act was signed by George W. Bush. It allowed for an increase in biofuels research funding motivated us to use clean and renewable energy. It gave tax credits for producing renewable energy, loans for new technology, and ultimately tried to avoid and stop the use of greenhouse gasses. -
Edible coating for sliced apples
In 2005 the Agricultural Research Service had invented a coating that was able to be put on the outside of an apple to preserve it for up to 28 days. This coating consisted of calcium and vitamin C. It also was able to preserve the color, texture, and flavor of the fruit. This improved the sales of the apples because they looked more visually appealing for longer periods of time. -
Colony Collapse Disorder
In 2007, over 1 million honeybee colonies dies. That equated to 35.8% of all colonies in the US. These colony deaths happened due to several deadly viruses spreading around the country. This was very hurtful to our crops because about 1/3 of our crops come from pollination from honeybees. -
Energy Security Plan
Obama's goal was to increase advanced biofuel production. This included 5 research centers, installing 10K fuel pumps(access to ethanol fuel blends), The USDA's increase in biofuel usage, and the continuation of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program. This act affected the availability of natural gases, international oil prices, greenhouse gagses, and energy taxes. -
Covid-19 Pandemic
Due to the global pandemic, problems like over-production, low prices, and food availability were increased. Because of the problems the economy was facing, specifically the agricultural system, A big threat was posed to farming operations all over the United States. It also effected the sustainability to our domestic food supply.