Agriculture impacts the world in so many ways, seemingly in more ways than we often think. Through the food we eat and the clothes on our backs, agriculture has an impact on the communities around us, and equally as important, it is what shapes the kids who will one day be leaders of the world. 

     Through agriculture, farmers grow things like corn and soybeans. Both products are used for various types of foods. Some corn-growing farmers grow specifically to make popcorn, a special treat that we love to eat while watching movies! But that is not where it’s capped. There are farmers who also specialize in growing vegetables to use in salads or just to eat as nutritious snacks. Other farmers have strawberry fields, bean fields or even wheat fields. Farmers aren’t the only people who grow the food that we eat; there are also people like ranchers. While ranchers don’t use fancy tractors or have fields of corn planted, they use the products that farmers grow, like corn, to feed their livestock, or more specifically their cattle. Cattle ranchers raise livestock animals such as cattle that people use for steak or burgers. Without these two groups of people, we wouldn’t have food to eat and share with our families. 

     Agriculture impacts the world by putting clothes on our backs. There is a huge variety of farmers and ranchers who grow the products used to make clothes. Some grow cotton to make things like t-shirts, room decor and sweatshirts. 

     Ranchers raise their cattle to use their skin for things like leather, which can be used to make couches or other furniture, as well as belts or purses for fashion purposes.

     So what would we have without agriculture? The answer is nothing. Agriculture is the base of every aspect of life. Where do we get food? It’s grown by farmers and sent to your tables. The tables you eat off of? The trees used are cut down by foresters and made into tables. Clothes? The materials are grown and then sent to other people in the agricultural field who process it to make the clothes we wear. 

     Although there is so much that people involved with agriculture accomplish, one of the greatest impacts on the world might be the people themselves. Take the Future Farmers of America (FFA) for example. A lot of these kids will go on to pursue a career in agriculture. The lessons they learn and the people they meet through agriculture will be very special things that they hold very dear to their hearts. They grow up with parents and grandparents who always have their backs and encourage them. Once they get to FFA, they meet their agriculture advisors who are always there to support them and help them become the best leaders that they can be. After meeting the agriculture advisor, they meet the FFA officer team. This team of high schoolers teaches them to be bold and to live life through laughter and pride.

      Throughout their time in FFA, members compete in events like Parliamentary Procedure that teaches them how to run a meeting effectively and efficiently, or they will do things like speak publicly, which teaches them how to talk in front of an audience while also teaching the people they speak to about agriculture. Kids in FFA will also compete in other competitions that fall more specifically under a category of agriculture, like agronomy or veterinary science, which will prepare them for the world of agriculture and teach them what every aspect of agriculture is about so that one day they can teach others the same things. 

     Agriculture involves more than just the everyday resources that we use. It is what helps people to be the strong leaders who will one day become very successful, leaders who will always appreciate where they came from and understand that agriculture is what impacted their world most.