The Importance of Agriculture in Everyday Life

By: Kierra DeCamp, Pleasant Hill FFA, Pleasant Hill, Ill.

Even before your feet hit the floor in the morning, an industry we all take for granted becomes part of
your day. The sheets on your bed, the eggs on your plate, the milk in your glass, and the clothes on your
back are all made possible through agriculture. As you make your way down the hall to the shower
room, even the floor you walk on and the doors you open are part of an agricultural process. You turn
on the water, and you get in. Did you know that your soap, shampoo, conditioner, and even the towel
and washcloths you use are pieces of agriculture? By the time you style your hair, brush your teeth,
apply your makeup, and start your car, you have already used hundreds of modern agricultural
products.

As you drive down the freeway to your destination, you rush past crowded shopping centers,
restaurants, bus stops, subway stations, small businesses, and crowded streets. Suddenly, as you enter
the dreaded traffic jam, you realize that the American population is growing at an excessive rate
compared to when you first started your job a few years ago. In fact, the United States Census Bureau
estimates that the world population will grow between 50 million and 80 million people every year for
the next 40 years (www.census.gov). Scientists are already working to provide the ever-growing
population with enough food, clothing, and modern agricultural products, without having to take up
more land. Through genetic engineering, scientists are able to chemically and physically enhance plant
seeds to produce higher yields and prevent insect damage. This process is intended to increase crop
production on existing farmland, and to provide more food for the large population of America.

I’ll bet you have even seen agricultural businesses close to your community. Some of these are
agricultural cooperatives. If you use these cooperatives, you not only have a say in their products, prices,
and leadership, but you also give back to your community. In return, agricultural cooperatives give back
to the community, too. If they receive businesses, it draws consumers to your town and can also benefit
other businesses your community has. In Pleasant Hill, our local agricultural cooperative is FS. FS gives
back to our community by hosting an annual Field Day with our FFA members. They inform us about
new farming methods, growing processes, agricultural threats, and influences in Pleasant Hill, We utilize
this information to help us not only with agricultural assignments, but also with FFA events and
fundraisers.

So, the real question here is, “Where would you be without agriculture?” Without agriculture, you
would be inconvenienced, naked, malnourished, unprotected, and, most importantly, hungry. The
cotton that provided you with your sheets, your clothes, your towels, and your washcloths wouldn’t be
processed into these everyday items. The eggs and the milk you had for breakfast wouldn’t be available
without the chickens that produced the eggs and the dairy cattle that produced the milk. The
floorboards under your carpet and the doors made of wood in your home wouldn’t be accessible
without the agricultural process of forestry. The consumables such as your soap, shampoo, conditioner,
hair products, toothpaste, and makeup would also be diminished because they are byproducts of plants,
another important agricultural method. And finally, the gas used to operate your car is made possible by
distilling corn and soybeans into fuel.

As you can see, if agriculture wasn’t available, life would be greatly affected. Everyday tasks wouldn’t be
possible. So the next time you wake up, eat breakfast, walk down the hallway in your house, shower, get
ready for work, and head out into the ever-growing world, remember what it takes to give you the
necessities you need to live life to its fullest.