"Farming" is one of the biggest keywords in the agricultural industry today. Not only is it what people instantly think of when they think of the industry, but it is most commonly seen as a blanket term that captures the whole of the industry in seven letters.
Agriculture is not just about farming.
Within this and the next several posts, we will take a look at different areas of the industry that people come across in their everyday lives, but don't realize that those things are actually part of the agricultural industry.
Today's post is going to focus specifically on a sector of the industry that comes to play at weddings, proms, homecomings, date nights, funerals, festivals, parades, pageants, and whenever a guy wants to surprise his girl.
That's right. I'm talking flowers.
More specifically, I'm talking floriculture.
The word 'floriculture' literally means the cultivation and culture of flowers. Floriculture spans from greenhouse production and care of flowers to floral arrangement to large scale production of flowers for retail. So that corsage that bought or wore in high school to prom was a tiny piece in the puzzle that is the agricultural industry. The casket spray you see on top of caskets at funerals is also a part of the ag industry.
Flowers are such a common thing to us that it is easy to overlook where they come from and what industry is actually being supported by their purchase. Something that people always seem to overlook about flowers is that many of the ones they find to be the most beautiful are genetically modified.
People tend to balk at talk of GMOs, which we discussed several posts ago, but they don't even realize that some of the new colors seen in their favorite flowers are due to genetic splicing. Odd how they are appreciated for beauty but when it comes to keeping animals and crops healthy and strong against damaging agents, suddenly the tables have turned.
Everything is not what it seems, which is part of what this blog is about. Farming is not just farming. Agriculture is not just farming.
Until next time, keep your seed open for water.
I can understand how using GMOs is detrimental to the produce, the animals, and our health. With that in mind, I don't see many negative affects of genetically modified flowers.
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