Agricultural Products

Agricultural products generally fall into one of four groups: foods, fuels, fibers and raw materials. Here are examples of each:

• Food. Grains and cereal crops are grown on more than half the world’s farmed acreage, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But food agriculture crops obviously encompass more than just cereals like wheat and corn. Meats and dairy products like milk also are agricultural food products, as are honey and farmed fish.
• Fuels. Ethanol, produced from corn, sugarcane or sorghum, is the agricultural fuel product in widest use. However, agricultural byproducts like straw sugarcane also are burned to produce power.
• Fibers. Fiber crops include cotton (which falls into the top 10 crops produced in the U.S. yearly), wool and silk. Agricultural producers also use hemp to make rope and flax for linen. It’s even possible to use bamboo fiber to make cloth.
• Raw materials. These are agricultural products used to make other agricultural products. For example, livestock feed (an agricultural product) is used to feed the animals who produce dairy products.