Commercial Arable Farming

This farming system is carried out on the great plains of the USA and the Prairie Provinces of Canada.

Alberta, Canada

Commercial Arable Farming

Commercial Arable Farming

This system of farming makes up for relatively low crops yields by increasing the scale of production. Vast holdings are cultivated and improvements in technology for irrigation, different strains of cereals, machinery and agrochemicals has seen output soar, causing large surpluses. Monoculture is mainly practised growing cereal cash crops.

Heavily mechanised

Commercial Arable Farming

Hi-tech storage facilities for grain

Commercial Arable Farming

Settlement Patterns Vast areas of land in the

Prairies have been divided up into geometric patterns. The land was divided up into townships of “36 sections”, six miles by six miles. Each settler was given a quarter section, provided they built a house on the land. Railway lines and later roads were all important in getting farm inputs to the area and farming outputs to market.

Commercial Arable Farming

Train picking up grain from the storage area.

Commercial Arable Farming

Source- Core Higher Geography.

Commercial Arable FarmingRailway line

Minor Town located on road and rail junction

Main town located on interstatehighway and railway. Grew into largest towndue to easy accessibilityand large sphere of influence

Because of large availability of flat landroads form a grid ironpattern.

Roads important for moving of farm inputsand outputs

Individual farm houses dispersed throughoutthe countryside.

Geometric road lay out.

Source- Core Higher Geography

Commercial Arable Farming

Changes In Alberta, Canada

many farmers are diversifying by setting up drilling rigs on their farm to mine for oil.

Drilling rig

cattlepasture

Commercial Arable Farming

Changes

New technology

New strains of seed

Improved chemicals

Use of contractors

Surpluses cutBack through Governmentfunding

New crops e.g.sunflowers

Reliance on cooperatives

Organicfarming Dry farming methods

Commercial Arable Farming

silage