New Agriculture in Oregon, US - IELTS Reading Passage, Questions & Easy Answer

The IELTS test has four test sections: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. The Reading is considered one of the easiest sections by many IELTS aspirants. The IELTS Reading test includes a total of three passages for a duration of 60 minutes. The "New Agriculture in Oregon" is an important IELTS Reading passage. 

New Agriculture in Oregon US Reading Answers for IELTS includes a total of 13 questions. The questions are divided into two categories: Matching paragraphs and Multiple Choice Questions. In this article, we have included a sample passage for the "New Agriculture in Oregon" topic. In reference to the passage, sample questions and answers are provided to help test-takers practice for the IELTS Reading test. 

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New Agriculture in Oregon US Reading Answers for IELTS Passage

The passage below, "New Agriculture in Oregon US," is a very common Reading passage in the IELTS exam. Read the passage to answer questions 1—13, which are given below. 

New Agriculture in Oregon US

1. Onion growers in eastern Oregon are adopting a system that saves  water and keeps topsoil in place while producing the highest quality “super-colossal” onions. Pear growers in southern Oregon have reduced their use of some of the most toxic  pesticides by up to two-thirds, and are still producing top-quality pear. Range managers throughout the state have controlled the poisonous weed tansy ragwort with insect predators and saved the Oregon livestock industry up to $4.8 million a year.
2. These are some of the results Oregon growers have achieved in collaboration with Oregon State University (OSU) researchers as they test new farming methods including integrated pest management (IPM). Nationwide, however, IPM has not delivered results comparable to those in Oregon. A recent U.S General Accounting Office (GAO) report indicates that while integrated pest management can result in dramatically reduced pesticide use, the federal government has been lacking in effectively promoting that goal and implementing IPM. Farmers also blame the government for not making the new options of pest management attractive. “Wholesale changes in the way that farmers control the pests on their farms is an expensive business.” Tony Brown, of the National Farmers Association, says. “If the farmers are given tax breaks to offset the expenditure, then they would willingly accept the new practices.” The report goes on to note that even though the use of the riskiest pesticides has declined nationwide, they still make up more than 40 percent of all pesticides used today; and national pesticide use has risen by 40 million kilograms since 1992. “Our food supply remains the safest and highest quality on Earth but we continue to overdose our farmland with powerful and toxic pesticides and to under-use the safe and effective alternatives,” charged Patrick Leahy, who commissioned the report. Green action groups disagree about the safety issue. “There is no way that habitual consumption of foodstuffs grown using toxic chemical of the nature found on today’s farms can be healthy for consumers,” noted Bill Bowler, spokesman for Green Action, one of many lobbyists interested in this issue.Best restaurants near me
3. The GAO report singles out Oregon’s apple and pear producers who have used the new IPM techniques with growing success. Although Oregon is clearly ahead of the nation, scientists at OSU are taking the Government Accounting Office criticisms seriously. “We must continue to develop effective alternative practices that will reduce environmental hazards and produce high-quality products,” said Paul Jepson, a professor of entomology at OSU and new director of
4. OSU’s Integrated Plant Protection Centre (IPPC). The IPPC brings together scientists from OSU’s Agricultural Experiment Station, OSU Extension service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon farmers to help develop agricultural systems that will save water and soil, and reduce pesticides. In response to the GAO report, the Centre is putting even more emphasis on integrating research and farming practices to improve Oregon agriculture environmentally and economically.
5. “The GAO report criticizes agencies for not clearly communicating the goals of IPM,” said Jepson. “Our challenge is to greatly improve the communication to and from growers, to learn what works and what doesn’t. the work coming from OSU researchers must be adopted in the field and not simply languish in  scientific journals.”
6. In Oregon, growers and scientists are working together to instigate new practices. For example, a few years ago scientists at OSU’s Malheur Experiment Station began testing a new drip irrigation system to replace old ditches that wasted  water and washed soil and fertilizer into streams. The new system cut water and fertilizer use by half kept topsoil in place and protected water quality.
7. In addition, the new system produced crops of very large onions, rated “super-colossal” and highly valued by the restaurant industry and food processors. Art Pimms, one of the researchers at Malheur comments: “Growers are finding that when they adopt more environmentally benign practices, they can have excellent results. The new practices benefit the environment and give the growers their success.”
8. OSU researcher in Malheur next tested straw mulch and found that it successfully held soil in place and kept the ground moist with less irrigation. In addition, and unexpectedly, the scientists found that the mulched soil created a home for beneficial beetles and spiders that prey on onion thrips – a notorious pest in commercial onion fields – a discovery that could reduce the need for pesticides. “I would never have believed that we could replace the artificial pest controls that we had before and still keep our good results,” commented Steve Black, a commercial onion farmer in Oregon, “but instead we have actually surpassed expectations.”
9. OSU researchers throughout the state have been working to reduce dependence on broad-spectrum chemical spays that are toxic to many kinds of organisms, including humans. “Consumers are rightly putting more and more pressure on the industry to change its reliance on chemical pesticides, but they still want a picture-perfect product,” said Rick Hilton, an entomologist at OSU’s Southern Oregon Research and Extension Centre, where researches help pear growers reduce the need for highly toxic pesticides. Picture perfect pears are an important product in Oregon and traditionally they have required lots of chemicals. In recent years, the industry has faced stiff competition from overseas producers, so any new methods that growers adopt must make sense economically as well as environmentally. Hilton is testing a growth regulator that interferes with the molting of codling moth larvae. Another study used pheromone dispensers to disrupt codling moth mating. These and other methods of integrated pest management have allowed pear growers to reduce their use of organophosphates by two-thirds and reduce all other synthetic pesticides by even more and still produce top-quality pears. These and other studies around the state are part of the effort of the IPPC to find alternative farming practices that benefit both the economy and the environment.

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New Agriculture in Oregon US Reading Answers for IELTS

Question 1-4

The Reading Passage has sections A-I

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct A-I letter in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

NB You can use any paragraphs (A-I) more than once.

1. Researchers highlight the need for better communication of goals.

2 A new irrigation method saved resources and improved outcomes.

3 Farmers managed pests using natural predators.

4 The agriculture industry faces international competition.

Questions 5-10

Complete the sentences below. 

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the text for each answer.

5 The new irrigation system at OSU helped protect water ________.

6 Farmers were successful when adopting more environmentally ________ practices.

7 The straw mulch method attracted beneficial ________.

8 Pear growers reduced the use of ________ pesticides by up to two-thirds.

9 New pheromone dispensers disrupted the ________ of codling moths.

10 The new farming practices benefited both the economy and the ________.

Question 11-13

Choose the correct letter (A, B, C, or D) from the given options.

11. What criticism did the GAO report make regarding IPM?

A. It was too costly for farmers.

B. Farmers were not adopting new methods quickly enough.

C. Agencies failed to communicate IPM goals effectively.

D. It resulted in lower-quality produce.

12 What unexpected benefit did straw mulch provide?

A. Reduced soil erosion

B. Increased pesticide usage

C. Improved soil fertility

D. Attraction of beneficial insects

13 What is a challenge faced by Oregon’s pear industry?

A. Overuse of water resources

B. High levels of pesticide use

C. Competition from international producers

D. Declining demand for pears

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IELTS Reading Answers: "New Agriculture in Oregon"

Question 1–4: Matching Information

1. Researchers highlight the need for better communication of goals.

• Answer: H
• Location: Paragraph H
• Reference: “The GAO report criticizes agencies for not clearly communicating the goals of IPM,” said Jepson.
• Explanation: This paragraph specifically discusses the communication gap in delivering the aims of IPM to farmers.

2. A new irrigation method saved resources and improved outcomes.

• Answer: G
• Location: Paragraph G
• Reference: “The new system cut water and fertilizer use by half… and protected water quality.”
• Explanation: Paragraph G details the benefits of a new irrigation system in Oregon.

3. Farmers managed pests using natural predators.

• Answer: A
• Location: Paragraph A
• Reference: “Range managers… have controlled the poisonous weed tansy ragwort with insect predators…”
• Explanation: Paragraph A explains that natural insect predators were used as pest control.

4. The agriculture industry faces international competition.

• Answer: I
• Location: Paragraph I
• Reference: “In recent years, the industry has faced stiff competition from overseas producers…”
• Explanation: This section discusses global competition faced by Oregon’s pear growers.

Questions 5–10: Sentence Completion

5. The new irrigation system at OSU helped protect water ________.

• Answer: quality
• Location: Paragraph G
• Reference: “…protected water quality.”
• Explanation: The system helped in conserving and maintaining water quality.

6. Farmers were successful when adopting more environmentally ________ practices.

• Answer: benign
• Location: Paragraph G
• Reference: “...adopt more environmentally benign practices...”
• Explanation: The term "benign" is used to describe the successful eco-friendly practices.

7. The straw mulch method attracted beneficial ________.

• Answer: beetles
• Location: Paragraph H
• Reference: “…the mulched soil created a home for beneficial beetles and spiders...”
• Explanation: Straw mulch led to the presence of pest-controlling beetles.

8. Pear growers reduced the use of ________ pesticides by up to two-thirds.

• Answer: organophosphate
• Location: Paragraph I
• Reference: “…reduce their use of organophosphates by two-thirds...”
• Explanation: Organophosphates are a type of synthetic pesticide used by pear farmers.

9. New pheromone dispensers disrupted the ________ of codling moths.

• Answer: mating
• Location: Paragraph I
• Reference: “...used pheromone dispensers to disrupt codling moth mating.”
• Explanation: Pheromones interfere with the reproductive behavior of pests.

10. The new farming practices benefited both the economy and the ________.

• Answer: environment
• Location: Paragraph I
• Reference: “…practices that benefit both the economy and the environment.”
• Explanation: Practices were designed to provide financial and ecological benefits.

Questions 11–13: Multiple Choice

11. What criticism did the GAO report make regarding IPM?

• Answer: C
• Location: Paragraph H
• Reference: “The GAO report criticizes agencies for not clearly communicating the goals of IPM.”
• Explanation: The report emphasized a lack of clear communication from agencies.

12. What unexpected benefit did straw mulch provide?

• Answer: D
• Location: Paragraph H
• Reference: “...mulched soil created a home for beneficial beetles and spiders...”
• Explanation: The unexpected outcome was the attraction of beneficial insects.

13. What is a challenge faced by Oregon’s pear industry?

• Answer: C
• Location: Paragraph I
• Reference: “…the industry has faced stiff competition from overseas producers...”
• Explanation: The pear industry is dealing with tough international competition.

Read more about: Tips For Reading in IELTS Exam | IELTS Academic Reading | IELTS Reading Tips And Tricks | IELTS General Reading Test |

Conclusion

Practicing with “New Agriculture in Oregon US Reading Answers” helps you understand modern farming and learn new English words. Try to answer the questions and check your answers to find out where you can improve. 

If you want more help with IELTS Reading Answers or need extra practice, connect with upGrad experts. They can guide you step by step and help you get a higher IELTS score. Start learning better today with upGrad’s simple support!