Farms grow crops and raise animals. Fruits and vegetables are food crops that farmers grow.

A seed has a tiny baby plant inside it. It also has a seed coat that protects it. It has a food reserve that feeds the baby plant inside.

Seeds need water and warmth to start growing. Plants grow in soil. Soil gives plants water, nutrients and support.

Earthworms live in soil. They help break down dead plant material.

Irrigation brings water to crops through pipes, canals or sprinklers instead of relying on rain alone.

Bees help fruits, nuts and other foods grow by visiting flowers. Bees also make honey from the nectar of flowers.

Some crops feed animals. Oats and alfalfa are grown to feed farm animals. Some farm animals, such as cattle and sheep, eat grass in open fields called pastures.

Wheat, corn and rice are grains that people around the world grow and eat. Flour for bread comes from wheat grain.

Then the food leaves the farm. Trucks carry food from farms to markets. Food travels from a farm to a store and then to your home.

Words to know

• irrigation: watering crops
• nutrients: plant food
• alfalfa: a feed crop
• pastures: grass fields