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Test ag knowledge with yet another Dr. Rosmann quiz
 
Farm and Ranch Life by Dr. Michael Rosmann
 
 
It’s been more than a year since the last “Farm and Ranch Life” quiz and readers have been asking for another test of knowledge about agriculture. Here it is: Circle the answer you think is correct for each item, then check the answer key and explanations at the end of the quiz and calculate your score. (No peeking until you’re done!)
1: The country that nearly always produces the most rice each year is:
a) United States; not only do Americans now eat a lot of rice, we export much to the rest of the world
b) India; it’s their staple food
c) Brazil; rice is well suited for the climate
d) Indonesia
e) China
2: The country that nearly always produces the most wheat each year is:
a) Canada; it’s the country’s main export
b) United States
c) Argentina; it has the best soil for raising wheat
d) China
e) India, ever since Norman Borlaug showed the country how to raise wheat more productively
3: The country that uses the most horses for work is:
a) Canada; think lumber harvest and farming
b) England; the citizens are well known as horse lovers
c) United States; we have cowboys still
d) Russia; in many rural areas the people rely on horses to farm and transport goods
e) China; it probably has the most horses as well as people
4: The country that has produced the most pork for the past 20 years is:
a) United States; it’s obvious that U.S. farmers raise swine the best
b) Denmark; the people love pork and sell it around the world
c) Germany, pork is their main agricultural export
d) China
e) Africa
5: The country in which the average citizen consumes the most rabbit is:
a) Germany; hasenpfeffer is a popular German dish
b) Italy; no way
c) China; the people look to rabbit as a source of much-needed protein
d) France; French cuisine includes rabbit more than any other meat, right?
e) Canada; the country has the most wild bunnies in the world
6: Can squash blossoms be consumed by humans?
a) They are poisonous and to be avoided
b) For centuries Native Americans consumed them as a delicacy
c) Italians recently developed a nontoxic variety
d) Squash blossoms are best left to bees and insects because they taste foul
e) What next is the government going to tell us to eat or avoid?
7: Which of the following does not fit with the others?
a) Peduncle
b) Anthers
c) Stamen
d) Sepal
e) Petals
8: Where would someone who is familiar with pistils most likely work?
a) In law enforcement
b) At a brothel
c) Swine breeding farm
d) A patent office
e) Plant seed nursery
9: Which of the following is least like the others?
a) Shire
b) Percheron
c) Belgian
d) Suffolk Punch
e) Thoroughbred
10: Linseed oil comes from:
a) Canola
b) Petroleum
c) Flax
d) Brazil nut trees 
e) Linden trees
11: Basswood trees are also known as:
a) Linden
b) Tulip poplar
c) Sweet gum
d) Sycamores
e) Sassafras
12: Oliver, Cockshutt and what other brand were merged to form White Farm Equipment?
a) Massey-Harris
b) Ford Ferguson
c) Allis Chalmers
d) Minneapolis-Moline
e) Farmall
Answer key
1: e) Southeast Asians consume rice daily – India is closest to China in domestic rice production and consumption; the United States ranks 10th in rice production
2: d) China is the most populous nation and its people eat a lot of wheat products as well as rice; for the past several years China has become a net exporter of wheat
3: c) The United States uses about 10 million horses of various sizes for work of some sort (e.g., livestock handling, farming, pleasure riding), followed by China, then Mexico
4: d) For many earlier centuries most Chinese families kept pigs and chickens on their property; they still consume most of the country’s pork – around the mid-1990s, China adopted modern pork production methods and now produces half the world’s swine (if you answered “Africa,” it is a continent and not a country, and besides, Africans tend to not eat pork)
5: b) China consumes the most rabbit meat overall, but Italians consume the most rabbit per capita
6: b) Squash blossoms fried in a tempura batter or served in many other ways have a delectable taste
7: a) All are parts of a flower except the peduncle, which is the stalk
8: d) Pistils are the female reproductive parts of flowers
9: e) All but the Thoroughbred are draft horses
10: c) Flax also is used to produce linen
11: a) Linden
12: d) Tractor buffs should know this
If you got 10 or more correct, you know a lot of diverse agriculture information; 7-10 correct, you could do fairly well in a Farming Trivial Pursuit game; fewer than 7 correct, consider taking a Remedial Agriculture course.

Michael R. Rosmann, Ph.D. is on the adjunct faculty of the University of Iowa, author of Excellent Joy: Fishing, Farming, Hunting and Psychology, lectures across the United States and abroad and owns a row crop farm in Harlan, Iowa.
He is also a founding partner of the nonprofit network AgriWellness, Inc. Send your thoughts and questions to him by email at mike@agriwellness.org – recently published columns are available for a small fee at www.agbehavioralhealth.com
9/11/2014