1. Economies of Scale Simulator (PSO-5.C.3 & 5)
See how technology lowers costs but forces farms to grow or die.
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Farm Size
10 Acres
Cost to Produce 1 Corn
$5.00
Financial Breakdown
Fixed Costs (Machines):
$1,000
Total Output (Yield):
200 units
Carrying Capacity (Yield/Acre):
20 units/acre
Cost Per Unit:
$5.00
Small Family Farm: You can't afford big machines. High labor costs. You must sell corn for $5 to break even.
2. Complex Commodity Chains
Linking production to consumption. Agribusiness integrates all these steps.
Vertical Integration
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1. Inputs
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2. Production
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3. Processing
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4. Distribution
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5. Consumption
Click a link in the chain to see what happens there.
3. The Impact of Corporate Farming
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Replacement of Family Farms
PSO-5.C.3: Small family farms cannot compete with the low unit costs of corporate farms (Economies of Scale). They create contracts with corporations (e.g., Tyson Chicken) or sell their land.
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The "Cool Chain"
Refrigeration allows perishable items to be grown globally. We get strawberries in winter because they are flown in from Chile, defying traditional Von Thünen rings.
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Increased Carrying Capacity
PSO-5.C.5: Technology (fertilizers, GMOs, machines) allows the land to support far more people than natural limits would allow.