Sometimes, people wonder how our lives lead us to where we are\u2014and I think I\u2019m a good example of that. Many of you might not know that, despite being the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Lincoln County, I didn\u2019t actually grow up involved in agriculture. I spent my childhood in the suburbs of New York City, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, with a dad who worked in sales and a mom who stayed home with us. Growing up, agriculture wasn\u2019t something we talked about. My schools didn\u2019t offer 4-H or FFA, to my knowledge, and I had very limited exposure to agriculture or farming. My one connection to the industry came through my love of horses\u2014I started riding at eight years old and still ride today. Long story short, that love of horses led me to UGA as a pre-veterinary student and into the animal science program, where I fell in love with livestock production and agriculture in general. That experience shaped my future\u2014and my perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think we often forget just how relevant agriculture is to every one of us. We tend to think of it as something distant: farmers, tractors, fields of crops, herds of livestock, or debates about local versus corporate production. But agriculture touches nearly every part of our daily lives, and it\u2019s easy to overlook just how much we depend on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The old saying goes, \u201cYou need a farmer three times a day\u2014for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.\u201d Most people immediately think of food when they think of agriculture. It\u2019s true, food production alone is a massive component of agriculture. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, meat, honey, grains (bread, pasta, rice) and so much more \u2013 all of the things that fuel your body begin with agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agriculture doesn\u2019t stop at food. We can also thank it for our clothing \u2013 cotton, wool, linen, bamboo, and other natural fibers all have to be grown and processed before they become wearable. It\u2019s also behind the materials that build our homes and everyday goods: timber for wood and paper, straw, natural dyes and inks, and even bioplastics made from corn or soybeans. Energy is another big one. Crops like corn produce ethanol for gasoline, soybeans can be made into biodiesel, and even manure can be composted or converted into electricity. And while those examples may seem pretty obvious, agricultural products are found in so many other things. Many medicines use plant and animal sources of materials \u2013 something as simple as aloe for a sunburn, or as complex as a pig valve for a heart. Personal care items contain agricultural products like cornstarch, plant oils, and beeswax. Animal byproducts like leather, tallow, and bone meal are often found in miscellaneous items like tires, paints, and crayons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the products we get from agriculture, the industry plays a huge role in our communities and environment. Farmers and foresters maintain green spaces that store carbon, filter water, and provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators. Agricultural research informs sustainability practices, climate science, and even drives innovations like drones and robotics. Agriculture also supports local jobs, small businesses, and the overall stability of rural communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, it\u2019s easy to forget the people who make agriculture possible. Farmers work tirelessly, day in and day out, facing challenges from weather, pests, regulations, and shifting markets. They\u2019re parents and mentors, investing in and guiding the next generation. They\u2019re your friends, your neighbors, and community leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the farm, there\u2019s an entire network keeping agriculture moving\u2014feed and supply stores, equipment dealers and mechanics, lenders, truck drivers, processors, researchers, ag teachers, Extension agents, and market workers who support agricultural industries and help get products from the field into your daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Agriculture is more than a profession\u2014it\u2019s a community built on hard work, resilience, and a shared goal of feeding, clothing, and sustaining us all. So while it\u2019s natural to think of food first when you hear the word \u201cagriculture,\u201d don\u2019t forget the bigger picture. Agriculture doesn\u2019t stop at the farm gate\u2014it starts there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sometimes, people wonder how our lives lead us to where we are\u2014and I think I\u2019m a good example of that. Many of you might not know that, despite being the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Lincoln County, I didn\u2019t actually grow up involved in agriculture. I spent my childhood in the suburbs of New […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":309,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-animal-agriculture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/309"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1058"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1059,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1058\/revisions\/1059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/lincoln\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}