flstandardbreds Chapter 151 The Current State of National Agriculture
Chapter 151 The Current State of National Agriculture
As the saying goes, food is the most important thing for people.
Alice and a group of officials strolled through the newly built state-run collective farm. In the old days, agriculture was intertwined with everything, but progress in agriculture itself was incredibly slow.
Medieval agricultural practices and technology were simply incapable of supporting the massive population and agricultural products required for modern industry. This is why the cycles of order and chaos in ancient times were somewhat related to population size.
When the world is at peace, the population increases; when the population increases, the land decreases, and the world descends into chaos.
Fortunately, modernization and agricultural modernization eventually brought agriculture back to the land from the roar of machines. Scientific irrigation facilities, powered farming machinery, chemical fertilizers... these new things that emerged from large-scale machine production have made agriculture a simple matter.
Alice envisioned that machines would liberate labor from arduous agricultural work, and in fact, she did just that when steam-powered machines appeared.
State-run farms are the reality of this vision. The National Agricultural Group established in Trian has acquired a large amount of land, which will be used like factories, employing a workforce system, consolidating large plots of land, and using mechanized farming.
This is also the ultimate destination of modern agriculture; no matter which path it takes, large-scale collectivized farms with wage labor will eventually emerge.
The roaring steam-powered trolley is a pioneer of agricultural machinery. This simple steam-powered machine is used wherever power is needed, and the agricultural work accessories that come with the steam-powered trolley have long been common on farms in the north.
Alice stood on the edge of the field, a straw hat on her head to shield her from the glaring sunlight. She looked out over the fields, where golden waves swayed gently in the breeze—golden wheat.
Now it is harvest season, the chaos is over, people need to live, and the fields are once again covered with crops.
In the distance, a roaring sound filled the air as Amelansi's automotive industry provided a new wave of power for Amelansi's agriculture. Diesel-powered machinery roared as crude, frequently breaking-down combine harvesters slowly traversed the fields. What used to take dozens of adult men a week to accomplish could now be done by just a few of these behemoths.
"Agriculture has changed, which is great. Perhaps our next generation will no longer be bound by the burdens of agriculture, and perhaps children will have more of the world to explore and become the people they want to be."
Alice reached out and touched the ears of wheat, each grain plump and full. These lands had been contracted by the National Agricultural Group before the war, and after the wheat harvest, corn would be planted on them.
The development of science and technology and the popularization of scientific methods have led to new methods of crop rotation. The American Academy of Agricultural Sciences is rooted in the land, providing food for everyone.
"Yes, Miss President. The National Agricultural Group has now established 304 state-owned farms, covering an area of 54 square kilometers. We will soon be moving into the South to establish more state-owned farms there."
Alice nodded, her long hair tied into a bun, her rolled-up white shirt damp with sweat, revealing glimpses of her undergarments. She turned to look at the side; it was a factory.
"Let's go in and take a look. I heard you guys are doing quite well in the meat and livestock business."
"Miss President, the taste inside isn't very good... and it's not clean."
"It's alright, whatever's inside will eventually end up in the stomachs of the people."
Alice pushed open the door. Chicken farming has a history of thousands of years in the land of the demons. Before the Common Calendar, in the time when things were still in our memories, chickens were a popular meat animal. When cattle were prohibited from being slaughtered, sheep were used to produce cotton, and pigs didn't taste very good, chickens were raised as the most popular meat animal.
In ordinary rural areas, almost every household raises some chickens, but these chickens are usually only used for laying eggs and not for slaughter. Only wild chickens or a very small number of farmers make a living by raising and selling chickens, and the number is extremely small.
After Alice's exchange with the Amerlane Biological and Medical Committee, it became clear that the Amerlanes urgently needed a source of protein. Meat, eggs, and dairy products were seen as indicators of a nation's progress and strength. The intake of meat, eggs, and dairy products was a key indicator of a nation's overall well-being.
The Imellane Chicken Research Association was established as a result. This semi-official organization has been selecting and cultivating native Imellane chickens in the north over the past three years through competition and training. As a result, the Silver Feather Chicken was born. This chicken weighs about 3.5 kg, has silver-white feathers all over its body, grows very fast, has a high feed conversion rate, a low feed conversion ratio, and a high meat yield.
Generally, it can be ready for slaughter in 40 days. This type of chicken is extremely suitable for industrial production. Although it has many imperfections, at this stage, having it or not is a different matter. In today's era of industrial development, such a chicken can definitely be called the perfect meat animal.
When Alice pushed open the door to the chicken coop, the corridor was filled with the smell of chicken manure. The iron cages were full of white chickens, and a metal trough was covered with chicken feed.
These chicken coops are designed to meet the increasingly diverse consumption needs of urban residents.
Alice strolled around nonchalantly, occasionally grabbing a few agricultural workers to ask questions. President Amelia's agricultural inspection did not end until evening. Silver-feathered chickens are not actually very good in terms of meat quality, but there is a way to make this chicken a food that people all over the world will crave.
Someone brought over a plate of fried chicken, coated in flour, marinated in spices, and then deep-fried in oil. The golden-brown fried chicken elicited gasps of surprise.
Alice picked up a piece of fried chicken and held it up to her entourage, agricultural workers, and reporters.
Fried chicken will transform people's lives, from habits to perceptions.
Perhaps this isn't considered healthy food by modern eyes, but its high oil, fat, and protein content is exactly what people in this era need.
"Our country's agriculture still has a long way to go, gentlemen. After the country's liberation, the demand for meat and eggs among the citizens has been increasing year by year. With the current agricultural situation, it can cope for one or two years without any problem. But as long as we have some time, when peaceful life arrives and the era of development comes, I believe that the so-called baby boom will arrive."
"A large number of newborns, new citizens, new mouths to feed, and our primary task as agricultural workers is to promote the agricultural technologies we have proven to be used throughout the country, to safeguard the future of our nation."
"Because we are a civilized nation, we have an obligation to provide shelter for the vulnerable. Ladies and gentlemen, just like the fried chicken in my hand, industrialized food is our future!"
Alice looked at the wheat field under the setting sun, with a gentle autumn breeze. It was a beautiful sight, but some people didn't like the roar of the harvesters and only liked the hardworking farmers wielding their sickles.
Some people are criticizing industrialized mass-produced food, but they don't realize that it is precisely industrialized production that ensures everyone has food on their table.
She's seen people like that before.
However, the development of agriculture will eventually make this scene disappear. Perhaps in the future, agriculture will also have agricultural factories rising from the ground, just like industry?
This is unknown.
Alice only knows that everything they advocate today will become a dish on the dinner table of one family after another in the future; industrialized food is the future.