Identify grain, forage, oil, and specialty field crops.

Identification should include most common grain, oil, and specialty field crops in the United States and Virginia, such as

• grain crops
  • corn (FFA Emblem)
  • wheat
  • barley
  • oats
  • rye
  • rice
  • grain sorghum
• oilseed crops
• cereal crops
• seed-legume crops
• root crops
• sugar crops
• tuber crops
• fiber crops (e.g., hemp, cotton)
• seed crops
• turf, sod, and ground cover straw crops
• forage crops for pasture or hay legumes (e.g., alfalfa, clover, lespedeza)
• cool-season perennial grasses (e.g., orchard grass, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, Timothy)
• cool-season annual grasses (e.g., oat, rye, wheat, triticale)
• warm-season perennial grasses (e.g., switchgrass, big bluestem)
• warm-season annual grasses (Sudan grass, pearl millet, foxtail millet)
• silage or dual-purpose crops
  • alfalfa
  • corn, sorghum, Sudan grass, cowpeas
  • small grains (e.g., rye, triticale, barley, wheat).

Identification should also include the most common factors to consider in the selection of field, forage, and pasture crops (e.g., biotic factors, climate, soil conditions, topographic factors, varietal adaptability, labor requirements, equipment requirements, production costs, marketability, profitability, availability of water, security, resistance to pests and diseases) and

• uses of Virginia field crops
• common weeds and weed control management programs
• applicable harvesting and storage methods.

Process/Skill Questions:

• What are specialty crops?
• What are grain crops, And why are they so important?
• What are forage crops, and why are they so important?
• What byproduct of a grain crop is also used in the landscaping industry (e.g., wheat straw)? 

Teacher Resource:

Agronomy Career Development Event Links to an external site., Virginia FFA