Agriculture Education: Impacting students to advocate for an industry by Sadie

Agriculture Education: Impacting students to advocate for an industry by Sadie - September 2017 Scholarship Essay

Living in a rural farming community, I spent hours upon hours outside on my farm throughout my childhood. Cattle and crops surrounded me as I dedicated time to working with my 4-H show animals in the heat of summer or out with my dad caring for the seeds planted in the ground. I attend school in a neighboring town that has nine small communities within the district with many of the students deriving from similar farms as I have. Entering a high school with about 60 students in grades 9-12, I did not have much of a choice in what elective classes I could take; a limited school population means less teachers, less courses offered in many cases, and lacking specialized teachers in elective courses. Not wanting to take an easy route, I doubled up on core subjects, taking honors and AP courses and advancing my knowledge ahead of my grade level each year. As for electives, I thrived in what I could: fine arts with band and chorus, business management courses that were well established in my school, which influenced my decision to become a state officer for the Future Business Leaders of America organization, and journalism. However, my school did not have the elective that I yearned for and wished to create a career out of: agriculture.

During my sophomore year, things shifted in school. The many rural farm kids brought the need for an agriculture instructor to the school’s attention. The need for an agriculture department remained clear; students may have had knowledge of agriculture through their own farms, but they, like me, wanted a subject in school that they could take back with them and apply directly to their work at home. Finally, the position for an agriculture teacher in the school opened. Through my passion for the industry, I had the ability to help push for an elective that I would prove would influence the future of not only myself, but the lives of all students who would pass through the new agriculture department at my school.

Junior year approached. I entered school with a burning passion in my heart to dedicate myself to my studies, activities, and the new agriculture program. The importance of the elective immediately took hold in students’ lives. Students joined the class and realized the potential they had. The teacher promoted our opportunities in the FFA program, and soon many of those students joined that as well. I not only was learning more and more about the industry I had such passion for, but I was unlocking numerous opportunities for my future as well. I gained the president position in not only the new FFA chapter, but the district president position for the state as well. I competed in events at the state level that same year, going on to obtain a first place in a leadership event that qualified me for the national contest, along with a 2nd place project, 4th place team event, and other career development event gold and silver ratings, all of which were fulfilled in my first year. The leadership and career development experience that I was obtaining was irreplaceable by any other elective or course. Agriculture classes pushed me to further my success in every other course I was enrolled in, pushing me to reach my potential every day. It is hard to believe that a year before, I did not have the agriculture elective or the opportunity to participate within the agriculture industry on a classroom level before.
Agriculture impacts every single one of the seven and a half billion people populating the planet. Since a young age, advocating for agriculture was instilled in me because of its importance in educating the public of the origins of their food. With an agriculture elective finally in my school, I have the ability to further the opportunities for my career within the agriculture industry one day. Besides this, I now have the opportunity to accurately advocate for the industry that has impacted me my entire life and to display to others how important it truly is to every person’s life.