A teacher in an urban school district told me early in my agriculture literacy career that she wanted her students to understand the skills and knowledge required to work in agriculture. During the conversation, she explained that many of her students believe that anyone with dirty hands cannot be smart. There’s no truth to that. I had the privilege of meeting my grandfather, who was a farmer, and he was the smartest person I have ever known.”
Agriculture and Farming: 7 Things You Should Know
1. All activities associated with growing plants and animals for use in other activities are considered agriculture. A dictionary definition isn’t what you’ll find here, but it’s accurate and practical. It includes both production agriculture and everything that happens before and after. Science, technology, and engineering are all part of agriculture. Farmers use genetics to improve the seeds and animals they purchase. The company develops, designs, manufactures, and sells all the equipment, buildings, fertilizer, and other things farmers need with an organic fertilizer company. There is a business involved in agriculture. A farm’s finances and legal aspects are involved in acquiring land and other assets. Basically, it is the marketing, sales, and distribution of plants and animals.
2. Almost everything we eat, wear, and use comes from a plant or animal raised on a farm. I always ask, but I have never had a student name something they eat that doesn’t come from a plant or an animal. Almost everything, except wild-caught fish, shellfish, and wild game, came from farms. When I ask students to name something that comes from a farm, they often look around the classroom. They are initially puzzled but realize the list is long once we mention wood, cotton, corn, and soybean ingredients. Most of the items we use are made from plants or animals raised on farms, except for metals, stones, and plastics made from petroleum.
3. A farmer’s job is to earn money. Isn’t this obvious? Students don’t always consider farming as a source of income, I discovered many years ago. It’s common knowledge that farmers raise crops and livestock for their families to eat, but that’s all they do. In most cases, they don’t realize that they earn a living by selling most of what they produce. As a result, they are able to pay their bills, buy food at the grocery store, and shop for clothes at the mall. A 7th-grade student asked the farmer where he buys things during a Farm Chat® program a few years ago. He explained where he gets his farm supplies, including tractor parts and seeds. In response, the student replied, “No.”. “Where do you buy clothes, food, and furniture? “I got this shirt at Scheele,” said the farmer, looking down at his Under Armour sweatshirt. You should choose the one that is not too far from your school.
4. As compared to most of the farms portrayed in story books, today’s farms are specialized. I remember when my grandparents were my age, farms looked like those in children’s books. Among the things they raised on their farm was a little bit of everything. In addition to 160 acres of crops, a few cows, laying hens, and some pigs, they made a good living. Together with Grandma’s large garden, the farm produced nearly everything the family of 10 could eat. Their farm has changed over time. They focused on maximizing their tractor and equipment investments as they invested in them. Today, the same applies. It is common for farmers to raise only one type of livestock. Their ability to produce it well is enabled by acquiring the facilities, technology, knowledge, and skills required.
5. It is high-tech to farm. There are a variety of technologies farmers use, including iPads, laptops, drones, and robots. Wi-Fi, webcams, and automated climate and feed control systems are common in livestock barns. Through their smartphones, farmers can monitor a cow in labour or adjust the barn’s temperature. The farmer receives a text message in the event of a power outage alerting him to the start of backup generators. By using this technology, farmers are able to provide their animals with precise care and be more efficient.
6. The farmers are smart. Solving problems is something they do well. The use of math is common among them. Most of them have a good understanding of technology. For a farmer to be successful, he or she needs to have good business sense. Seventy per cent of farmers have a higher education, including a college diploma or a trade/vocational certificate. Agronomy and animal science are among the most popular agriculture majors, but other areas offer skills that can benefit a family’s farming operation, such as business, mechanics, and other organic fertilizer in India.
7. Water and land are important to farmers. A few years ago, I took a group of college students taking an environmental science class to a cattle farm to see conservation practices in action. As he explained to the students that his family has owned the farm for generations, I watched their puzzled looks exchange. According to the farmer, he owns the land, but it doesn’t belong to him. It belongs to my son, and I am borrowing it from him. The statement left a lasting impression on me, as well as on my students. I want to pass it on to him in the same or better condition in which I received it from my dad.” In honour of the 4th of July, I took my children, nieces, and nephews fishing at my parent’s farm.