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“Agriculture is boring”

As my high school freshman “M” studied for her human geography test, she remarked that their next unit is on agriculture, and a bunch of the kids were saying, “agriculture is boring.”


Apparently, I’ve done a good job in sharing ag info with her over the years because her comment to me was, “I was like ‘no way, it’s really interesting.’” Not that she actually said it during class, but I give her props for at least thinking it and telling me.


I off-handedly, a little sarcastically, remarked: “where do they think their food comes from?” … M (more sarcastically than me): “probably the store; it just magically appears.” Oh, this is music to my ears … I’ve succeeded in at least one way as a mom!


Night harvest activities on the farm

I suspect most of those kids equate “agriculture” to “farmer” … whether it be the livestock producer who wakes at dawn or the crop farmer who’s in the fields past dark. Maybe they picture a guy in overalls and straw hat and think “not me.”


My hope is they gain a deeper appreciation for what “agriculture” means through this unit. Agriculture is a diverse industry and, in looking through the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, belongs to several occupational categories:

  • Architecture and Engineering

  • Farming, Fishing, and Forestry

  • Life, Physical, and Social Science

  • Management

  • Production


It’s easy to just see “Farming, Fishing, and Forestry” and think those are the core occupations. The reality is one needs to dig deeper to truly grasp the scope of this industry. As reflected in the list above, agriculture connects to each of those “hot-button” STEM areas: science, technology, engineering, math. And careers in communications, marketing, education, administration, sales, human resources and others support the agricultural industry. For those interested in an “insiders” point-of-view, an AgHires blog post details the benefits of and opportunities for a career in agriculture.

Greeting the cows.

Over the past year, I’ve gained a broader understanding of the diversity present in this industry I hold dear to my heart. My personal background connects me to the dairy industry, while my professional background is tied to the crop industry. More recently, I’ve had the privilege of learning about aquaculture, animal nutrition and digital technology. Even digital technology has a broad footprint, and, ironically, I’ve witnessed its use from soil to sky … learning how it can help “read” what’s in the soil and how it can help “see” where aerially applied chemistries land.


I hope M’s class completes their agriculture unit with an enlightened perspective and instead say, “agriculture is cool!”


Connect with me to see how I can help share your cool ag story.

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