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Agriculture - Webster defines it as “the cultivation of the ground to raise food; husbandry; farming.” In today’s industry we include the processing, distribution, and marketing of food and fiber products, ornamental horticulture, silviculture, aquaculture, hydroponic food and plant production, and more.
The industry has undergone specific changes based on our population’s needs, wants and access. Consumer demands have brought about a healthier and more bountiful food and fiber supply through the development of new products, technologies, and improved conservation practices.
Nearly 2 million people farm in the United States; Kentucky is home to 87,000 farms. Almost 90 percent of the farms are operated by individuals or family corporations. Although active farmers make up less than 2 percent of our population, approximately 20 percent of the general population is involved in the production, processing and sales of agricultural products.
Farmers and ranchers are independent people who provide for their families by growing and producing food and fiber. In the 1960s one farmer supplied 26 persons. Today, one farmer supplies food for 144 people in the U.S. and abroad.
All in all, agriculture is a great industry that delivers the best, safest and most economical food in the world. And so we have as a nation a day to recognize and celebrate this miraculous food and fiber system.
Celebrating National Agriculture Day is a very special occasion for everyone involved in the nation’s largest industry. We all partake of agriculture every day. Whether it’s in the nutritious food we eat, the clothes we wear, the sheets we sleep on, the medicines we use, or the homes we live in, agriculture is more than you know.
This celebration should also bring to the attention of many the diversity of agriculture. Our homes, from roof to floors, are constructed of agricultural products. Our landscapes and views are created with plants and greenery produced by nurserymen and greenhouse growers. Agriculture is and will always play an integral part of everyone’s life. It should be celebrated every day.
Ways to Celebrate Ag Day
- Invite students and teachers to wear traditional farm clothing, or if they are involved in 4-H or FFA, wear their official T-shirts or jackets.
- Let students bring their 4-H projects to school to display in the lunchroom.
- Invite a local farm family to speak to the class.
- Invite FFA members (high school agricultural students) to speak to the class.
- Write a letter to a local farmer thanking him or her for what he or she does.
- Make an agricultural bulletin board to be displayed in the main hall of the school.
- Trace your school lunch back to the farm.
- Ask your students to create on paper what their own farm might look like.
- Ask students to write a short report about where their favorite food comes from, geographically, and from what culture.
- Use farm products to discuss the economic concepts of supply and demand and how this relates to industry.
- Show an agricultural video. Obtain a list from the KAEC Mobile Unit or Kentucky Farm Bureau’s Lending Library.
- Soak and dissect seeds, discussing the importance and miracle of seeds to farmers.
- Conduct Spring planting ceremonies and plant student gardens (both indoor and out).
- Discuss the importance of soil, water and agricultural land as a natural resource.
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