Truth be told, I had no
clue what FFA was before high school. My parents never stepped foot on a farm,
so there was no family pressure to understand agriculture. I knew enough to
know the food I ate did not come from a store but was instead produced many miles
away on a farm. I knew chocolate milk does not come from brown cows,
despite the common misconception. However, my blindness to agriculture was not
from a lack of interest, but instead through a lack of knowledge. I
simply didn’t know what I didn’t know, and that seems to be the biggest
barrier.
After being introduced
to the industry as a high school freshman, I began to understand why our
industry matters. I never appreciated agriculture, because I never understood
it. Through agricultural education, I was able to bridge that gap of
understanding and find a future career I believe can overcome any obstacle.
Throughout history, agriculture has proven to overcome many challenges. Why
wouldn’t you choose agriculture?
Agriculture has grown
through events that seemingly destroyed the industry. The Great Depression and
the Dust Bowl overwhelmed the nation for an entire decade. What seems like a
history lesson was incredibly real for over 2.5 million Americans who fled
Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Prices for all commodities
nationwide dropped substantially, leaving our nation’s farmers in peril. Across
the board, the industry was decimated. But in the end, agriculture prevailed.
The Farm Crisis of the 1980s shook the sector. Iowa was at the center of this
national catastrophe. In 1983, nearly 500 farms were being auctioned off each
month. As the Farm Crisis subsided, almost 300,000 farmers had lost
everything. Again, agriculture prevailed.
Today, farmers are
challenged by low commodity prices and high input costs. However, there is hope
on the horizon. Nationally, farmers are reaching record yields for corn and
soybeans. This year corn production jumped 1.9 bushels per acre and soybeans
now average 52.5 bushels per acre. Through science, agriculture has a promising
future. The implementation of CRISPR-Cas9 promises to develop improved crops.
Microbial applications and soil management will increase yields. Digital
agriculture increases the data available to farmers to allow for more informed
decisions. Conservation techniques like wetland management and no-till crop
systems are improving water and soil quality for all Iowans.
And finally, our
organization is on the rise. The National FFA Organization’s membership reached
an all time high for the 2015-16 year at 649,355 members, and the Iowa FFA
Association is looking to break over 15,000 members this year. Iowa FFA members
continue to show leadership through their career experiences earning $25.56
million as reported last year. Our nation’s rising youth are a talented,
educated, and passionate workforce willing to take agriculture to the next
step. Every day, I wake up grateful for choosing this field, because I see the
promise of better days ahead. In times of doubt or uncertainty, we should look
to the final paragraph of our creed: “I believe that American agriculture can
and will hold true to the best traditions of our national life,” and remember
that you will always have a role to play in agriculture.
Blake
Lineweaver
Northwest
State Vice President
Food for Thought:
No comments:
Post a Comment