The True Role of Agriculture in Our Daily Lives

Have you ever thought about the true impact agriculture has on our daily lives? When you think of agriculture you probably think of cornfields, tractors, farms, and you would be correct. All of those things play a vital role in agriculture. But the impact of agriculture extends even further.

Across the US, there are over 915 million acres of farmland. These farms are full of livestock, corn, wheat, soy beans, and much more. Though you might think large corporations own these massive farms, in actuality most of the farmland here in the US is family owned.  On average, every farmer is able to feed about 166 people every year, but as the population continues to grow, there is a need for farmers to adapt and be able to feed more and more people annually. It is thought that by 2050, farmers will need to be able to produce 70% more food than they currently do to keep up with the growing population. 

Agriculture doesn't stop at the food on our tables though. Think about when you were younger and would open up a coloring book, or when you do every adults most dreaded chore—laundry. Odds are you don't stop each time and wonder what goes in to these products, but so many products that we use every day are byproducts of the food farmers are producing, "everything from detergents and paints to X-ray film and crayons, textbooks, chalk and strings for musical instruments" (Farm Bureau).