Heightened awareness and concern for the environment has brought many traditional farming practices under scrutiny. Legislation regarding use of foreign workers has affected the labor market which agricultural producers must deal with. The health awareness trend has cut down consumer consumption of beef, pork, wine and many processed meats. Correspondingly poultry and fresh vegetable sales have increased dramatically. Farmers must adapt to these social trends if they expect to survive.
New technology solves many problems for the farmer, but in the process can create new ones.
Computerized production processes can improve the efficiency of a farm, but the need for more technically competent labor and highly trained maintenance personnel makes the farmer less independent. Application of bio-technoloby and gene splicing techniques have the potential to boost production, protect crops from frost, increase resistance to pests and reduce fertilizer requirements. Discuss with students the potential problems they think might result from the use of this new technology. Collect current articles from magazines and news- papers that will focus a discussion on current population trends. Utilize guest speakers from industry to discuss problems they have which relate to social and technical shifts.