Agriculture Quiz Answers

  
What is the number one agricultural commodity produced in Chatham County (the one that is the most important economically)?

poultry

What are the top three agricultural commodities produced in North Carolina?

hogs, broilers, and greenhouse/nursery crops

  
Small farmers in Chatham County usually grow a mixture of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruits. How many different crop varieties does a typical farmer grow?

70-80 different varieties

  
When you shop at one of Chatham County's two farmers' markets, you will never find bananas, pineapples, avocados, or oranges. Why?

because they are not locally grown, and both Chatham markets are "growers only" markets, meaning growers are only allowed to sell what they have grown themselves

  
Many farmers in Chatham County farm organically. How is organic agriculture different from conventional agriculture?

organic farmers rely more on preventing problems rather than treating problems

  
Chatham County is home to Sunny Slope Greenhouses, producers of greenhouse tomatoes since 1979. What is the advantage of growing tomatoes in a greenhouse?

tomatoes can be harvested much earlier than field-grown tomatoes, providing an early market for the grower

Which of these crops is most closely related to tomato (in the same botanical family)?

tobacco

  
How many farms in Chatham County are operated by women?

approximately 100, about 10% of the total farms in the county

Approximately how many dairy cows do we have in North Carolina, and about how much milk does each one produce each year?

64,000 dairy cows, and each produces about 17,000 pounds of milk per year in NC

In 1965, Chatham County had about 200 dairies. How many do we have in the county now?

12

Chatham County ranks #___ in North Carolina for number of beef cattle.

#3 with about 16,000 beef cattle

How are the majority of beef cattle sold in Chatham County?

live through livestock auction

  
Several farmers in Chatham County raise goats. What agricultural products and services do goats provide?

all of the above

Chatham County is home to the state's only water buffalo herd, at Nu Horizons Farm in Pittsboro. What are water buffalo famous for providing?

milk for making premium mozzarella cheese

  
What are cover crops?

all of the above

  
Organic farmers rely on beneficial insects to help control crop insect pests. Which of the following insects are considered beneficial? Check all that apply.

ladybird beetle
parasitic wasp
lacewing larva
assassin bug

Some of our area farmers are raising pastured turkeys to sell for Thanksgiving dinner. What are the benefits of raising turkeys on pasture? Check all that apply.

foraging turkeys eat alot of insect pests
the turkeys freely move around and leave behind manure which provides nutrients for later crops
many believe pasture-raised turkeys taste better

    
Many Chatham County vegetable farmers also raise pastured chickens and sell the eggs along with their vegetables and flowers. Do you know what an "egg-mobile" is?

portable shelter for chickens where they can lay their eggs (a tractor is used to move the pen around the fields)

How many broilers (chickens raised for meat) were produced in Chatham County in 2002?

about 40 million

URL: http://chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/growingsmallfarms

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