Agricultural WebQuest Series

Missouri Farm Bureau  and Missouri State University

WebQuest Virtual Field Trips

Welcome.  This page includes numerous video clips of agricultural scenes.  These video clips are linked to some of the pages in the WebQuest series.  However, you might just like to view some of the clips to learn about some agricultural topics.

Directions:  Click on each picture below to view the video.

	Watch a combine.  In this video, you will see a large combine that is harvesting soybeans.  Combines such as this one can harvest thousands of pounds of soybeans in a day. Missouri Farm Bureau video.
	Sometimes farmers have to spray their crops to prevent plant diseases or insect pests.  In this video clip, you can see a very large sprayer that can spray a large area in a short time. Missouri State University video.
	Crop circles.  If you fly in an airplane across the United States, you sometimes see large green circles on the ground.  These crop circles occur when farmers use irrigation systems that apply water in a circle. Many of the crop circles are alfalfa.  Alfalfa is a crop that is grown mainly for  high quality hay.  In this video clip, you can see crop circles from a jet that was high in the sky. Missouri State University video.
	Cattle are ruminants.  Ruminants are animals that have billions of bacteria and other microorganisms in parts of their stomach system.  Ruminants have four compartments to their stomachs.  Ruminants eat grass and hay rather quickly and later they bring some of the food back to the mouth to chew it over and over. This is called "chewing the cud".  In this video clip, you will see a big rodeo bull who is chewing his cud. It looks like he is chewing gum, but he is chewing grass and hay that he ate earlier.  Missouri State University video.
	Sheep are also ruminants.  Here is a video clip in which you can see some Tunis lambs resting, but as they rest, they are also "working" by chewing their cuds. They were fed some hay and grain earlier.  In this clip, they are working at digesting their food. Missouri State University video.
	Horses are not ruminants.  However, horses eat hay and grass but they only get to chew it when it is eaten and cannot bring the food back to the mouth for more chewing.  In this video clip, you can watch a horse eat hay.  Horses cannot eat as fast as cows and sheep do because they have to chew their food better. Missouri State University video.
	New technologies are constantly invented to improve agricultural efficiency or food safety. In this video clip, you can see cattle going through an electronic reader that reads tags in their ears at a livestock market.  A computer then keeps track of those cattle as they are delivered, sold and loaded to a new owner. Missouri State University video.
	Many cattle are sold at livestock auctions.  In this video clip, you can listen to an auctioneer who sells the cattle.  The auction ring is also the scales.  The cattle are weighed as a group and buyers know quickly how much the cattle weigh. Missouri State University video.
	Most cows are milked two times per day.  The cows walk into a milking parlor where milking machines are used.  Watch this video clip to see some cows being milked. Missouri Farm Bureau video.
	Baby calves can walk very soon after birth.  Watch this video clip and you will see a calf with its mother.  This calf was only one hour old. Watch how it walks with its mother and how she takes care of it.  Missouri State University video.
	Most turkeys are raised in large barns that hold several thousand turkeys.  Turkeys can be raised at lower cost in such barns. They also are safe from predators and protected from the weather.  Watch this video to see inside one of these big barns.  Missouri Farm Bureau video.
	According to American Farm Bureau, 75% of the wildlife in the United States is on private farms.  This does not mean that farmers own the wildlife.  Instead, all kinds of wildlife live there "free" - no one pays the farmers.  Click on this picture and see hundreds of geese on a farmer's pond.  Missouri State University video.
	Most sheep grow wool and it keeps them warm.  Once a year, sheep farmers have someone clip the wool from their sheep. This is called shearing.  Most sheep produce six to ten pounds of wool per year.  A good shearer can shear 200 or more sheep in a day.

Teacher Page

This page was developed and is maintained by Lyndon Irwin.

Please address questions to Diane Olson at Missouri Farm Bureau or Dr. Lyndon Irwin at Missouri State University. 

©2006 Missouri Farm Bureau, All Rights Reserved!

Last revised on June 6, 2006