WOW She Won!

I so wanted to say something profound in this post!  I wanted to name it something worthy or at least catchy!  I wanted to put into words how proud I am of My Cowgirl, how much it means to me that she gets "it", that what I have been beating into her head, preaching to her, educating her on all these years sank in, she gets it, she wrote about it and it came from the heart - but for once I am at a loss for words, well the eloquent words I am looking for - so instead of my impressive words and catchy titles I will let the essay she wrote speak for itself!

The 2011 Ag Essay Contest asked students to explain how Indiana agriculture plays a positive role in their own lives—and in the lives of those around them.  There were two categories of competition: video essay and written essay; and three grade levels: 4-6; 7-9 and 10-12. More than 225 students submitted written essays, and more than 50 submitted video essays.  She was in the 7-9 grade level and the essay had to be under 400 words.

Food For Thought: Our Food, Our Farmers

Let’s think for a second. This morning you most likely had breakfast. Eggs? Bacon? Follow the paths that your breakfast took. Those eggs came from a chicken. That chicken was on a farm, run by a farmer. That crispy bacon on your plate came from a hog, which came from a hog operation. Think of the work those farmers did for you. The care, effort, and time those farmers gave to give you one meal. American farmers feed and clothe us, contribute to the economy, protect the environment, improve our health, and so much more.

American farmers feed you and I. They spend countless hours of hard work, effort and time into putting your food on the table. Whether it’s the farmer in Florida, or the grain producer in Iowa, laboring over wheat to make your birthday cake. Your shirt was one of 1,217 shirts that came from one 500 pound cotton bale! So where would we be without American farmers? Hungry and Naked. But, American farmers do much more than that.

Farmers do more than feed us. They feed the world’s economy. Agriculture employs about 14% of America’s workforce and accounts for more than 5% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Agriculture and the economy are best friends. The crops fail, prices and demand go up. The economy goes bad, agriculture goes down with it.

If anyone protects the environment, its farmers. Farmers care for the land and protect it. They preserve the land by soil and water conservation. Because without the land we couldn’t farm. They are for controlled and planned urbanization. On their farms they increase energy efficiency. Farmers do so much to protect our planet.

Farmers improve our health by giving us a continual supply of high quality food and fibers. Farmers give us an abundance of goods to keep us healthy. They care about the quality of their products. They give us the adequate nutrition we need for excellent health! Without the supply, we would no longer be here!

American agriculture plays an enormous role in my life, even if I didn’t live on a farm. Farmers keep me fed and clothed, they even improve my health. Not to mention how they protect the environment and improve the economy. So thank you to all of Indiana’s farmers, for doing what you do.