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Characteristics: This type of farming has adapted to semiarid or arid land and is practices in developed countries where the vegetation is too sparse and the soil is too poor to support crops. Cattle ranching is glamorized in popular culture. First, ranching was the herding of animals over open ranges in a seminomadic style. Then it was transformed by dividing the open land into ranches. When many of the farms converted to growing crops, ranching was confined to drier lands. Ranching had become part of the meat-processing industry than an economic activity carried out on isolated farms.
Crops: When declining in importance, cattle ranchers had to lease land from farmers because the government had given them almost no land and they had lost in a battle between ranchers and farmers. 60% of cattle grazing takes place on land leased from the U.S. government. The cattle are raised on the ranches. China is the leading producer of meat, ahead of the U.S. and Brazil. Developing countries produce only one-third of world meat production.
Where is it Found: Cattle ranching expanded in the U.S. during the 1860s due to the demand in beef in East Coast cities. Once in Chicago, the cattle would be slaughtered and processed by meat-packing companies and shipped to consumers in the East. The most famous route from Texas northward to the rail line was the Chisholm Trail, which began near Brownsville at the Mexican border and ended through Texas. Commercial ranching is done in developed countries and increasingly in developing countries. The interior of Australia was opened for grazing in the 19th century, although sheep are more common than cattle there. In South America, a large portion of the pampas of Argentina, southern Brazil, and Uruguay is devoted to grazing cattle and sheep. The cattle industry grew in Argentina because of the close access to the ocean and overseas markets.
Pros/Cons: Ranching generates lower income per area of land, although it has low operating costs. The cattle raised on the ranch are often sent for fattening to farms or to local feed lots along major railroad or highway rather than directly to meat processors.
Important Terms: Ranching-the commercial grazing of livestock over an extensive area

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Characteristics: Every Mediterranean area borders a sea have either sea winds or sea breezes. The land is very hill, leaving narrow strips of flat land along the coast. Some farmers used transhumance to raise animals. Farming in drylands require massive irrigation to provide water.
Crops: Most of the crops are grown for human consumption. Horticulture and tree crops form the commercial base of Mediterranean farming. The two most important crops are olives and grapes. Two-thirds of the world's wine is made in countries that border the Mediterranean, and also produce a large percentage of the world's olives. Around half the land is devoted to growing cereals, especially wheat. The seeds are grown in the fall and harvested in early summer. After cultivation, cash crops are planted on some of the land. A large portion of California farmland is dedicated to fruit and vegetable horticulture.
Where is it Found: Exists primarily on the lands that border the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia.It is also practiced in California, central Chile, the southwestern part of South Africa, and southwestern Australia. Most are on west coasts of continents.
Pros/Cons: Farmers derive a smaller percentage of income than in mixed crop and livestock regions.
Important Terms: Horticulture-the growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

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Characteristics: Crops on a grain farm are grown primarily for consumption by humans rather than by livestock. Commercial grain products sell their output to manufacturers of food products. Wheat is grown for international trade and is the world's leading export crop. The U.S. and Canada account for around half of the world's wheat exports.
Crops:The most important crop grown is wheat, which can be sold at a higher price than other grains and easily stored without spoiling and transported a long distance.
Where is it Found: Some form of grain is the major crop on most farms. China, India, and the U.S. are the largest producers of wheat. Commercial grain farms are usually found in regions that are too dry for mixed crop and livestock agriculture. The winter wheat belt is in Kansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma. The spring wheat belt is through Dakotas, Montana, and southern Saskatchewan in Canada. The Palouse region of Washington State is an important source of legumes, 80% are grown there.
Pros/Cons: Wheat production has globally increased as a result of growth in large-scale commercial agriculture.
Important Terms: reaper- A machine that cuts grain standing in the field.
Combine machine- Machine that reaps, threshes, and cleans.
Winter Wheat-planted in the autumn and develops a strong root system before growth stops for the winter.
Spring Wheat-planted in the spring and harvested in the late summer.

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Characteristics: The most important commercial agriculture practiced on farms near the large urban areas of the northeastern U.S. Rapid growth of cities and rising incomes in the 19th century increased the demand for the sale of milk to urban residents. Dairy farms must be close to their markets because their products are highly perishable. Farmers farther to their consumers are more likely to sell to factories. Dairy Farming is also labor intensive.
Crops: In the 21st century, India has become the world's largest milk producer, leaving the U.S., China, and Pakistan behind. Dairy farmers generally sell milk to wholesalers, who then distribute it to retailers. Farmers also sell milk to butter and cheese manufacturers.
Where is it Found: Dairy farming has become an important type of farming in South and East Asia. Nearly every farm in the northeastern U.S. and northwestern Europe is within the milkshed of at least one urban area. New Zealand is the world's largest per capita producer of dairy products and devotes 5% to liquid milk. New Zealander farmers don't sell much liquid milk because the country is too far from North America and northwestern Europe,  the two largest wealthy population concentrations.
Pros/Cons: Dairy farmers face economic difficulties because of declining revenues and rising costs. Dairy farmers quit farming because lack of profitability and excessive workload. The cows must be milked twice a day and require constant attention throughout the year. The expense of feeding the cows in the winter when there is no grass to eat is another con. In northwestern Europe and northeastern U.S. farmers buy most of the hay or grain.
Important Terms: Milkshed- the ring surrounding a city from which milk can be supplied without spoiling.

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Characteristics: The southeastern U.S. commercial gardening and fruit farming has a long growing season and humid climate. Truck farming is usually practiced there. Truck farms are willing to experiment with new varieties, seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs to maximize efficiency.
Crops:.Truck farms grow many of the fruits and vegetables consumers in developed countries demand. Some are sold fresh, but most of the fruits and vegetables are sold to large processors for canning or freezing. Farms tend to specialize in a few crops, and a handful of farms may dominate national output of some fruits and vegetables.
Where is it Found: This type of farming is the predominant type of agriculture in the southeastern U.S. It is near the large markets of New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and other eastern U.S. urban areas.
Pros/Cons: Truck farms are highly efficient large-scale operations and produce most of the fruits and vegetables consumers demand. Labor costs are kept down by hiring migrant farm workers who work for very low wages.
Important Term: Truck Farming-Commercial gardening and fruit farming, so named because truck was a Middle English word meaning "bartering" or "exchange of commodities."
Specialty Farming- Farming crops that have limited but increasing demand among affluent consumers; profitable alternative with relatively high operating costs and low milk prices.

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Characteristics: It is the most common form of commercial agriculture in the US and much of Europe. It is the integration of crops and livestock.Mixing crops needs less attention in the winter than the spring and fall, which allows for the farmers to distribute work evenly.
Crops: Corn is the most frequently crop planted in the mixed crop and livestock farming region. Most of the corn is fed to pigs and cattle. Soybeans come in at a close second. Soybeans are also mostly used to make animal feed. In Europe's four-field system, cereals such as wheat and barley were sold for flour and beer production
Where is it Found: This type of farming is found in Ohio to Dakota, Iowa being in the center. A two-field crop rotation system was developed in Northern Europe around the fifth century. A four-field system was also introduced to Europe during the 18th century.
Pros/Cons: Farmers could easily switch his crops each year for restoring nitrogen to the soil and cattle grazing with rest crops instead of either a root crop or cereal. Crop rotations help maintain the fertility of a field because many crops deplete the soil of certain nutrients but restore others.
Important Terms: Corn Belt-The most important mixed crop and livestock farming region in the U.S. (from Ohio to Dakota) surrounded by corn crops.
Rest Crop-A crop that helps restore the field