9781422272893

Raising and cultivating plants for human consumption is one facet of agriculture.

modifying food so it grows more easily and wards off disease. Some farms spray pesticides on crops to prevent the food from getting eaten by pests. Some industrial meat farms inject animals with growth hormones and antibiotics to help them grow faster and stay healthier. These practices raise concern among critics, who fear the effects that these chemicals have on the humans who later eat these foods and on the soil and water the food is grown in and with. As the cruel treatment of living animals on some of these farms has been exposed over recent years, more and more people have voiced concern about certain practices within the agricultural industry. In answer to those concerns, farms that promote a cage-free lifestyle for livestock have emerged. They provide meat, dairy, produce, and grain that have not been modified or sprayed with often-feared pesticides. Agriculture continues to evolve to meet the needs and demands of a public that is becoming more educated and aware with regard to what they are eating and how it is produced. ZOOLOGY Zoology is the study of animals. Though their titles may look similar (the Greek word for animal is zoo), zoologists are not the same as zookeepers. While zookeepers care for animals in zoos, zoologists research animals in their natural habitats. Zoologists may help zoos

14

ENVIRONMENT