MADISON CO., N.Y. — What would a day without agriculture look like? This is the question we posed last month to third and fourth graders in our Cornell in the Classroom program offered throughout the Madison County school district. We wanted our youth to really think about all the aspects of daily life that are connected to and are improved by agriculture. It did not take long for them to realize how different their days and their lives would be without agriculture. That got us thinking that maybe all could benefit from a reminder about how important agriculture is even above and beyond the food we eat and the beverages we drink.Â
According to the National Ag in the Classroom program, we all use a vast array of agriculture products every day without even thinking about it – from the clothes we wear, the paper we write on, the flowers we pick up at the market, and the ethanol used in many of our cars. Agriculture produces food, fuels, fibers, and raw materials and it is often the non-food parts of agriculture that most go unnoticed as a part of our daily interactions. So let’s take a look at your daily life and consider how different things would be without agriculture.
To start, when you woke up this morning where were you? On a bed with cotton sheets? Have a pillow with down feathers? In a house or apartment that had wood in the structure? How about when you got out of bed, did you put your feet on a wood floor, or on a rug or carpet that had cotton or wool, and then slip your feet into cozy slippers? Just the act of sleeping and getting out of bed already has you connecting with agriculture. Did you then eat breakfast?  If you did, there is a good chance you had a product you could not have had without agriculture. Bread, toast, muffins from healthy whole grains, farm fresh eggs, corn or wheat cereal, sweet sugar or delicious maple syrup, orange or tomato juice – all the typical breakfast items link to agriculture. In addition, for those coffee drinkers, how thankful are you for your agricultural boost first thing in the morning!Â
The list goes on and on – take a look at this example list and consider how many of these ag connected items you use in your life: Soap; hair brush; crayons; paper; pencils; potpourri; blue jeans; cotton shirts; wool sweaters/socks/mittens; perfume; ice cream; yogurt; spaghetti; tortillas; cereal; meat; eggs; shoes; purse/wallet/briefcase; gum; baseball bat; football; cotton underwear; shampoo; fingernail polish; tires; gasoline; popcorn; cold and allergy medicine; vitamins and mineral supplements; plastic and rubber; household cleaners and polishers; fire extinguishers; textbooks; instruments including drums and pianos; construction material; medical supplies such as heart valves; books/magazines; beer/wine/liquor; coffee, tea; lettuce; vegetables; bread; crackers; cheese; Christmas trees; wood chairs and doors; grass; flowers; wash cloths, paper towels; and toilet paper.
 Stopping to take a look at all the ways agriculture benefits our lives serves as a good reminder to think about what a day would be like without it. We often say that if you ate today you should thank a farmer. That is certainly true and it is much more as well. When we finished our Cornell in the Classroom lessons, the students were definitely left in awe with how different (and hard!) their lives would be without agriculture. So much of our lives are possible because of the impacts of agriculture products and that often goes unnoticed. So today, please stop for a moment to think of how much easier and more pleasurable our lives are because we have agriculture, and because we have farmers working within it, and join us in thanking them every chance we get.
For more information on all things Ag please visit our website at www.madisoncountycce.org, like us on Facebook at CCEMadison or give us a call at 315-684-3001 M-F 8am-4pm.
–Karin Bump, Ph.D.
Cornell Cooperative Extension Madison County
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