Ag in the Classroom talks about nation’s largest industry

Agriculture, or farming, is the science of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock. It is the nation’s largest industry, employing approximately 23 million people in over 250 career areas. However, less than 1 percent of the population claims farming as their occupation. The remaining agricultural jobs can be segmented into seven areas:  plant sciences, animal sciences, agricultural mechanics, agricultural business, environmental services, food science, and natural resources.

Agriculture is a part of everyone’s day. From the cotton in our sheets, clothes, towels, soap with lanolin, toothpaste with mint, plus all the foods we eat.

Agriculture offers many different kinds of work providing support for those who produce our food and fiber. Illinois is one of the top ranking states in meat packing, soybean processing, dairy manufacturing, feed milling, and corn processing. There are careers in agriculture for all education levels and interests.

In Ag in the Classroom this month, we talked about some of the real farmers in our county. Students did a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) experiment that correlated with the lesson. Illinois is one of the top agricultural states in the nation.

Douglas County Ag in the Classroom is sponsored by Douglas County Farm Bureau, Douglas County Ag Center, and Illinois Ag in the Classroom.