Why take Mr. Lotspeich's Agriculture Class?

Agriculture can be basically described with 5 F's.  Food, Fabric, Forestry, Flowers and Farming. 

I'll admit, this doesn't sound very exciting when just listed as this but let's take a look at what ways we are learning about each of these categories.  There is nothing more interesting in this world, in my humble opinion, than learning about these things that directly affect our daily lives.

Food

It comes in so many delicious forms from a cheesy pepperoni pizza to the juicy fruits and vegetables!  Whether you enjoy a well balanced diet that gets you all of the recommended food groups or you prefer to "specialize" in a couple of them (carnivores or vegetarians), we are all affected by the price, quality and availability of food in our lives.
How do we get such hearty and healthy food in the US?
It's not an easy task!  Farmers and ranchers in the US and other countries have practice growing more food on less and less land.  All while taking into account factors like floods, droughts, heat waves, rising fuel prices, whether to produce conventionally or organically, and human factors like people wanting them to stop raising specific plants or animals.  Sound like fun?  It can be with the right knowledge and skill.  You also get the chance to see something that you raised grow from a small plant or animal into a high quality food product that will be turned into food or some of it's by-products will be.  Learning about this alone should make you interested in agriculture!

Fabric

Take a look at yourself in the mirror.  How many different brands of clothing can you see on yourself?  A major part of your reflection is going to be the way you dress.  Our clothes can tell others how we are feeling, what we believe in, where we come from and are sometimes just plain funny.  There are two major types of fibers that you can wear: Synthetic and Natural.  Synthetic fibers are often made in factories from some sort of plastic-like material and have many uses in modern fashion and clothing.  Natural fabrics, our wools, cottons, hemps, silk, and other natural fibers are also still a major source of high quality fabrics.  Most pairs of blue jeans are going to be made from cotton and you can't beat the warmth of a nice wool jacket packed with some goose down on a cold day!  Our natural fibers are still a main part of the clothing and fabric industry and are used in everything from our everyday clothes to blankets and even woven into our dollar bills we use today!

Forestry

Conservation and responsible usage.  That is what the forestry industry is all about.  Preserving the beautiful landscape we have today and also using what we can to keep our country thriving and with a constant supply of lumbar.  Private citizens own 38% of all forests in the USA and that allows them to conserve habitat for wildlife and the enjoyment of outdoors men and women.  Where would you be without forests and natural resources?  Almost everyone in this country enjoys a roof over their heads at night and we have the forestry industry to thank for a major piece of that. 

Flowers

We see them along side of the road sometimes and they are given for all sorts of occasions from condolences to celebration.  The greenhouse and nursery industry produced $15.9 billion in sales in 2009 and has the potential to keep increasing with the increasing amount of people going back to work.  If you want to learn about what makes a floral design desirable and how to market that product than agriculture is your place to be.  The booming floral industry has job opportunities including scientists developing new types of flowers, growers of flowers, and people interested in marketing and selling plants and flowers to consumers. 

Farming

This is what most people typically think about when they hear the word agriculture.  The fact of the matter is, only 2% of the US population is directly involved in farming and ranching.  That means 98% of our country has a big debt of gratitude to pay those 2% for keeping them well fed.  Farming and ranching has taken on many new facets with one of the biggest sectors being the increase in technology being used on farms and ranches.  Almost all farms and ranches are going to have computer systems running parts of the operation and GPS installed into tractors and farm implements.  This industry also covers the animal agriculture industry where in the next 40 years our American ranchers must double the amount of meat they produce to keep up with the rising population.  This is the basis of agriculture and almost all other aspects stem from something produced on a farm or ranch.  We need people interested in producing food, processing food, keeping food safe, marketing food, selling food and increasing the science and technology used by our farmers and ranchers today. It seems like a big job but I know there are many bright people out there who can take this challenge and give farmers and ranchers the tools they need to succeed. 

I am very excited to see young, intelligent, motivated and hard working individuals who are looking to make a difference in something that affects our lives every single day.  Where would we be without agriculture?  Naked and hungry.  Nobody wants that and this is why you can play a part in continuing and increasing the success of any of the broad facets of agriculture.