what are agricultural yields

In agriculture, the yield is a measurement of the amount of a crop grown, or product such as wool, meat or milk produced, per unit area of land. The seed ratio is another way of calculating yields. Innovations, such as the use of fertilizer, the creation of better farming tools, new methods of farming and improved crop varieties, have improved yields.

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How to increase crop yield?

Yield (Agricultural) Maintaining agricultural yield at a sustainable level requires that the regenerative capacity of driving subsystems is sufficiently strong despite fragmentation. From: Advances in Ecological Research, 2015. Related terms: Rainfall; Farmland; Agricultural Production; Biodiversity; Drought; Fertiliser; Irrigation; Pesticide

How to determine crop yield?

The definition for ‘ crop yield ‘ given by the FAO is ‘Harvested production per unit of harvested area for crop products. In most of the cases yield data are not recorded but obtained by dividing the production data by the data on area harvested.

How do you calculate crop yield?

The Agricultural Yield survey is a monthly survey running from May through November. Small grains data are collected from May through August. Row crop data are collected from August through November. Hay yield data are collected in August and October with hays stocks collected in May. Tobacco data are collected from May through November. Methods

Do GMO crops increase yields?

That generally involved a shift to crops that would yield more per unit of land and required more labour for their cultivation. Wheat, rye, and millet require less labour per unit of land and per unit of food output than do rice, potatoes, or corn (maize), but generally the latter yield more food per unit of land. Thus, as population density increased, the latter groups of crops tended to be …

What does yield mean agriculture?

Crop yield is a standard measurement of the amount of agricultural production harvested—yield of a crop—per unit of land area. Crop yield is the measure most often used for cereal, grain, or legumes; and typically is measured in bushels, tons, or pounds per acre in the U.S.

Why is agricultural yield important?

Crop yield is the measure of crop produced per area of land. It’s an important metric to understand because it helps us understand food security and also explains why your tomatoes can cost more one year and then less the following year.

What are yields in plants?

Definition. The amount of plant crop (such as cereal, grain or legume) harvested per unit area for a given time. Supplement. In agriculture, the crop yield is a measure of the grains or dry matter quantity in a particular area.

How is agricultural yield measured?

The total yield is calculated from the weight multiplied by the total acreage in production. Farmer estimation: Farmers are asked for their estimation of the total crop harvested. This value is divided by how much land they planted in order to estimate yield.

What influences agricultural yield?

The four most important factors that influence crop yield are soil fertility, availability of water, climate, and diseases or pests. These factors can pose a significant risk to farms when they are not monitored and managed correctly.

How do you increase agricultural yield?

What Are The Ways To Increase Crop Yield?Quality Of Seeds. Agricultural productivity depends on the quality of seeds with which farmers sow their fields. … Field Productivity Zoning. … Monitoring Crops Growth. … Accurate Weather Prediction. … Regular Scouting. … Crop Protection Methods. … Soil Testing & Its Quality.

What is harvest yield?

The Harvesting Yield measures the quantity of harvested losses (short or long-term) during a given period, divided by the value of the portfolio at the beginning of the period.

What is yield production?

Production yield is a metric that results from dividing the number of good parts produced divided by the total number of parts started in production.

What is the difference between crop and yield?

As verbs the difference between yield and crop is that yield is (archaic|obsolete) to pay, give in payment; repay, recompense; reward; requite while crop is to remove the top end of something, especially a plant.

How is yield calculated?

How to calculate yieldDetermine the market value or initial investment of the stock or bond.Determine the income generated from the investment.Divide the market value by the income.Multiply this amount by 100.

What is difference between yield and production?

The difference between yield and production is that yield refers per area harvest and, production is total harvest measured in tonnes per hectare. Crop yields are the harvested production per unit of harvested area for crop products.

What is the yield per acre?

Yield per acre has been obtained by dividing the gross value of output by the gross cultivated area.

What is crop yield?

The definition for ‘ crop yield ‘ given by the FAO is ‘Harvested production per unit of harvested area for crop products. In most of the cases yield data are not recorded but obtained by dividing the production data by the data on area harvested. Data on yields of permanent crops are not as reliable as those for temporary crops either because most of the area information may correspond to planted area, as for grapes, or because of the scarcity and unreliability of the area figures reported by the countries, as for example for cocoa and coffee.’ 4

What is achievable yield?

Attainable yields are defined as feasible crop yields based on high-yielding areas of similar climate. They are more conservative than biophysical ‘potential yields’, but are achievable using current technologies and management ( e.g. fertilizers and irrigation).

What is yield gap?

Yield gaps are defined as the different between the actual crop yield and the attainable yield.

Why are permanent crops not as reliable as temporary crops?

Data on yields of permanent crops are not as reliable as those for temporary crops either because most of the area information may correspond to planted area, as for grapes, or because of the scarcity and unreliability of the area figures reported by the countries, as for example for cocoa and coffee.’ 4.

How much land was used for cereal production in 2014?

However, if global average cereal yields were to have remained at their 1961 levels, we see the amount of additional land (in blue) which we would have had to convert to arable land if we were to achieve the same levels of cereal production. This ‘spared’ land amounts to 1.26 billion hectares in 2014– roughly equal to the area of Mexico and Europe combined.

What is the trade-off between land use for agriculture and yields?

This trade-off between land use for agriculture and yields is very clearly exemplified in a comparison between cereal production in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Expansion of cereal production has followed very different paths in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.#N#Land use for cereal production in South Asia has increased by less than 20 percent since 1961, meanwhile cereal yields have more than tripled – which meant that much more food could be produced in South Asia without an equivalent extension of the agricultural land. This is in strong contrast to Sub-Saharan Africa where the area of land used for cereal production has more than doubled since 1961 and yields have only increased by 80 percent.#N#Click to open interactive version

Which countries have seen a much larger increase in cereal yields relative to area used for production?

Most European, American (both North and Latin American), Asian and Pacific countries have seen a much larger increase in cereal yields relative to area used for production. For many, changes in the arable land have been minimal (or have declined). This is an important contrast to Africa where results are more mixed.

What is crop yield?

Crop yield is a standard measurement of the amount of agricultural production harvested—yield of a crop—per unit of land area. Crop yield is the measure most often used for cereal, grain, or legumes; and typically is measured in bushels, tons, or pounds per acre in the U.S. Sample sizes of a harvested crop are generally measured to determine …

How to calculate crop yield?

To estimate crop yield, producers usually count the amount of a given crop harvested in a sample area. Then the harvested crop is weighed, and the crop yield of the entire field is extrapolated from the sample.

When was the absolute low crop yield?

Interestingly, for many products, the absolute low crop yield occurred in the 1930s during the time of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years, while the absolute high crop yield occurred in the most recent years recorded. 2.

Why is crop yield important?

In a global economy, crop yield data is vital to measure if crops that are produced can adequately provide enough food for a nation’s food supply, livestock feed, and energy sources.

How has crop yield increased over the past decades?

Crop yields and farm efficiency have increased dramatically over the past decades as technology has advanced in farm automation, crop genetics, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Why was the USDA important in the 1960s?

was using such methods to assess the agricultural health of China and the Soviet Union. Today, foreign countries frequently publish crop yield statistics on their government websites, similar to what the USDA does in the U.S.

Why are crop production estimates important?

Crop production estimates are valuable for producers and industry alike to plan the marketing and movement of the commodity throughout the year. A few examples include development of an individual producer=s marketing plan (local scope), forecasting transportation requirements (state or regional), or evaluating export potential (national and international).

When is the Crop Production Report published?

The Crop Production report is published no later than the 12th of each month. Acreage, yield, and production forecasts and estimates are prepared for the crops in season.

How to find the results of a survey?

Get the data from the results of this survey. 1 Choose the detailed database (Quick Stats 2.0). 2 In Quick Stats 2.0, under Program, select “Survey.” 3 Make additional category choices for the data you are looking for. 4 Click to read about the Quick Stats Tools

What is the effect of increased crop yields on agriculture?

Increased crop yields also means fewer hands are needed on farm, freeing them for industry and commerce. This, in turn, led to the formation and growth of cities, which then translated into an increased demand for foodstuffs or other agricultural products.

What is the unit of measurement of crop yield?

Measurement. The units by which the yield of a crop is usually measured today are kilograms per hectare or bushels per acre . Long-term cereal yields in the United Kingdom were some 500 kg/ha in Medieval times, jumping to 2000 kg/ha in the Industrial Revolution, and jumping again to 8000 kg/ha in the Green Revolution.

What was the seed ratio in the 9th century?

In parts of Europe the seed ratio during the 9th century was merely 1:2.5, in the Low Countries it improved to 1:14 with the introduction of the three-field system of crop rotation around the 14th century.

What is seed ratio?

The seed ratio is the ratio between the investment in seed versus the yield. For example, if three grains are harvested for each grain seeded, the resulting seed ratio is 1:3, which is considered by some agronomists as the minimum required to sustain human life. One of the three seeds must be set aside for the next planting season, the remaining two either consumed by the grower, or for livestock feed. In parts of Europe the seed ratio during the 9th century was merely 1:2.5, in the Low Countries it improved to 1:14 with the introduction of the three-field system of crop rotation around the 14th century.

How does technological advancement affect crop yield?

Each technological advance increasing the crop yield also reduces the society’s ecological footprint . Yields are related to agricultural productivity, but are not synonymous. Agricultural productivity is measured in money produced per unit of land, but yields are measured in the weight of the crop produced per unit of land.

What is the measurement of the amount of a crop grown, or product such as wool, meat or milk produced,

Crop yield. In agriculture, the yield is a measurement of the amount of a crop grown, or product such as wool, meat or milk produced, per unit area of land. The seed ratio is another way of calculating yields .

How does innovation affect farming?

Innovations, such as the use of fertilizer, the creation of better farming tools, new methods of farming and improved crop varieties, have improved yields. The higher the yield and more intensive use of the farmland, the higher the productivity and profitability of a farm; this increases the well-being of farming families.

How did crop production increase?

Until the early years of the 20th century, most of the world’s increase in crop production came either from an increase in land under cultivation or from an increase in the amount of labour used per unit of land. That generally involved a shift to crops that would yield more per unit of land and required more labour for their cultivation.

How does land affect agriculture?

The relationship between land, population, and farm production is a complex one. In traditional agriculture, where methods of production have changed little over a long period of time, production is largely determined by the quality and quantity of land available and the number of people working on the land. Until the early years of the 20th century, most of the world’s increase in crop production came either from an increase in land under cultivation or from an increase in the amount of labour used per unit of land. That generally involved a shift to crops that would yield more per unit of land and required more labour for their cultivation. Wheat, rye, and millet require less labour per unit of land and per unit of food output than do rice, potatoes, or corn (maize), but generally the latter yield more food per unit of land. Thus, as population density increased, the latter groups of crops tended to be substituted for the former. That did not hold true in Europe, where wheat, rye, and millet expanded at the expense of pasture land, but those crops yielded more food per acre than did the livestock that they displaced.

Why is the cost of farming so stable?

In modern agriculture, costs tend to be relatively stable; the farmer is unable to compensate for a drop in prices by reducing his payments for machinery, fertilizer, or labour. The incomes of farm workers are generally below those of other workers. There are two major reasons for that inequity.

What is the instability of farm prices?

The instability of farm prices is accompanied by instability of farm income. While gross income from agriculture generally does not vary as much as do individual farm prices, net income may vary more than prices. In modern agriculture, costs tend to be relatively stable; the farmer is unable to compensate for a drop in prices by reducing his payments for machinery, fertilizer, or labour.

Why did the government control the agricultural sector?

In the second half of the 20th century, governments undertook to control both prices and output in the agricultural sector, largely in response to the pressures of the farmers themselves. In the absence of such control, farm prices tend to fluctuate more than do most other prices, and the incomes of farmers fluctuate to an even greater degree. Not only are incomes in agriculture unstable, but they also tend to be lower than incomes in other economic sectors.

Which crops require less labour per unit of land?

Wheat, rye, and millet require less labour per unit of land and per unit of food output than do rice, potatoes, or corn (maize), but generally the latter yield more food per unit of land. Thus, as population density increased, the latter groups of crops tended to be substituted for the former.

Where is the most arable land per capita?

There are great differences in the amount of arable land per person in the various regions of the world. The greatest amount of arable land per capita is in Oceania ; the least is in China. No direct relationship exists between the amount of arable land per capita and the level of income.

What is the best crop for a garden?

Crop Yields. If you’re a home gardener, you might think your biggest decision for the best yield of tomatoes, lettuce, or raspberries lies with the seeds or plants you buy at the garden store. That is an important choice, but the soil in your garden bed, your water management practices, and many other variables affect your yield, too.

When is corn harvested in the US?

No-till corn in August with rows of old cover crop stubble from the previous fall. Overwintering cover crops are harvested in May, generating additional feed on local dairy farms. Credit: Samantha Glaze-Corcoran

Why are agronomists important?

Agronomists and the growers they serve strive to efficiently produce the food, fuel, and fiber used by the world. Most of the time that growers are planting a crop, it’s to produce a yield. Some practices, like using cover crops and mulches, are done for the sole purpose of improving soil health. Those are important techniques that contribute to the long-term gains and sustainability of farming.

What do agronomists do to help with soil erosion?

An agronomist might recommend conservation tillage or cover crops in these situations. Both practices can fill other field needs. They can conserve soil moisture, reducing irrigation concerns. Minimizing surface tillage and keeping the soil covered with a cover crop can also reduce potential soil erosion. Erosion control, in turn, helps prevent the loss of fertilizers and pesticides from the field . This helps protect finite surface water resources.

What is the strength of organic agriculture?

The great strength of organic agriculture is in building up and restoring soil. Better soil structure, in turn, means less erosion and pollution. Perhaps we could do that good soil building, and use some synthetic nitrogen to keep our agricultural footprint from expanding.

Why does organic farming require more land?

Organic agriculture requires more land upstream of production, because you have to grow nitrogen fertilizer before you can grow food. But conventional agriculture takes up more space downstream from production: Fertilizers wash into waterways creating dead zones; soil washes away, too, and that eventually creates the need for more farmland; the manure lagoons required for confined animal feeding operations dominate space, especially when they leak.

Is it bad to plop down big industrial farms in Africa?

Both sides of this argument agree that plopping down big industrial farms in Africa or Asia would probably be a disaster. Linus Blomqvist, one of the authors of Nature Unbound, told me this would be a terrible idea, because it would mean that all those small subsistence farmers would have no way of supporting themselves.

Do small farms produce more than big farms?

But the Breakthrough guys fired back. Sure, small farms tend to produce more than bigger farms in poor countries, they wrote; but both produce way less than modern industrial farms in rich countries. “One widely cited study found that the smallest African farms produced about 25 percent more yield per hectare than the largest African farms. But the average American farm produced about 10 times more yield per hectare than either. Yield gaps between farmers in rich nations and those in poor countries are profound,” they wrote. This, also, is true.

Is it important to be efficient in farming?

It’s important to be efficient in our land use with farming. But that doesn’t mean that we all need to stop worrying and love industrial farming. Organic production has a lot to contribute and industrial farming has a lot of room for improvement. In the most recent issue of Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, ecosystem scientist G. Philip Robinson pointed to the sheer waste involved in nitrogen use:

Why do organic farmers use manure?

It’s true that organic farm yields don’t depend on farmers dedicating growing seasons to nitrogen production, but that’s probably because the farmers that spend less time producing nitrogen with legumes apply more manure to their fields . Manure is a big source of nitrogen fertilizer for organic farmers, especially in richer countries. When farmers use manure to fertilize their fields, they are using nitrogen that has traveled through several steps: First it’s crafted by bacteria or people, then it’s absorbed by plants and turned into new growth, then it’s eaten by an animal and pooped out. In the U.S., a lot of the nitrogen that organic farmers get is really synthetic ammonia that has passed through livestock before reaching them in the form of manure. If we did away with this transfer, and instead set aside more land for generating this manure, how many additional acres would we have to clear? No one has done that calculation — it was just too thorny a problem for the researchers to solve.

Is alfalfa a legume?

Alfalfa is one of the legumes that harbors nitrogen-fixing bacteria.REUTERS/David Gray. Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one. In 2007, a group of researchers led by Catherine Badgley made a big-picture estimate of how many additional acres we would need to switch over to 100 percent organic.

What Is Crop Yield?

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How Crop Yield Works

Crop Yield Statistics

Special Considerations​