| The earliest farmers raised wheat and barley in the Middle East about 10,000
years ago. Farming has changed a lot since then, but it’s still the world’s
most important industry. And it’s the largest industry in our country.
Agriculture, which includes raising animals as well as plants, provides almost
all of our food and many of the materials we need for clothing, shelter, and
other products. How much do you know about our farming heritage? The questions
below come from the 2004 South 47 Farm Corn Maze. For answers, click
here.
When you're done, take a stab at our other quizzes, "Know
Farm Animals?" , "Know Farming?",
"Know Drought?", and "Know
the Art of Farming?"
1. Name a 1960’s folk-rock group or singer named after an 18th
century agricultural inventor.
a. Jethro Tull
b. Cat Stevens
2. How many corn plants were there in this field before we cut out the
maze?
a. More than
250,000
b. About 75,000
3. Many of the foods we eat originated here in the Western Hemisphere.
Name two that were first domesticated in Mexico.
a. Chocolate &
tomatoes
b. Corn &
turkey
4. True or false: Efficiencies of economics will lead inevitably to the
loss of small farms like The South 47 Farm.
a. False
b. True
5. In Washington State, farmers grow four of the commercially grown native
North American fruits. Name two:
a. Raspberries
& cranberries
b. Blueberries
& blackberries
6. What farm product used to be shipped by the train-car load from the
Sammamish Valley as far as Florida?
a. Milk
b. Lettuce
7. Where did we get our measurement of an acre?
a. The amount of
land it took to grow enough hay to feed a horse for one year.
b. The land one
farmer with a team of oxen could plow in one day.
8. What is the average distance food travels from the farmer to the plate?
a. 150 miles
b. 1500 miles
9. When did the first dairy cow arrive in Washington Territory?
a. 1807
b. 1838
10. Consider the average dollar spent on items starting out from farms.
How much of the dollar pays for costs and labor added after the items have left
the farm?
a. 25¢
b. 80¢
11. Of all the apples grown in the U.S., how many are grown right here in
Washington?
a. More than half
b. About one in five
12. In 1948, how many different dairy farms were producing milk here in
the Sammamish Valley?
a. 25
b. 6
13. We think that honeybees, along with native pollinators such as
bumblebees and Orchard Mason Bees are the most important animals on the farm.
Name two fruits or vegetables we wouldn’t have without these hard working
bees.
a. Pumpkins & strawberries
b. Beans & tomatoes
14. How much farmland is lost to development every year in the U.S?
a. 3,200,000 acres
b. 32,000 acres
15. What percentage of the US commercial crop of raspberries is grown in
the Puget Sound area?
a. About 25%
b. More than 80%
16. When did tractors really start to replace work animals on farms?
a. In the 1930’s
b. In the 1920’s
17. True or false: The Pilgrims had turkey and pumpkin pie at the first
Thanksgiving, back in 1621.
a. True
b. False
18. How many people in the U.S. live on farms today?
a. 1 in 10
b. 1 in 50
19. You can do a lot of things horses can’t do. Which of the following
is true?
a. Horses can’t see colors.
b. Horses can’t vomit.
20. When farming with horses, what fraction of the farm must be devoted to
growing feed and bedding for the horses?
a. One fourth
b. One tenth
21. When farmers say, "He’s a green man," what do they mean?
a. He is very concerned about the
environment.
b. He uses John Deere equipment.
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