Agriculture Day, called Ag Day by students and staff, was held on October 16. It is a day to learn about the foundations of society, like where the food we eat and the clothes we wear come from.
This year Ag students brought a variety of animals like a horse, a cow, chickens, and goats to showcase crops and clothing materials. The students and volunteers putting this together set up various enclosures for each of the animals. FFA members and volunteers were very enthusiastic about Ag Day, with many demonstrations. One featured the power of an engine that Ag students had repaired themselves by powering a fan and having people try to shoot a ball down with a NERF gun. FFA members who’ve been participating since they were freshmen look forward to Ag Day, “I don’t have a favorite part but I enjoy the cattle.” said junior Nathan Shmidt.
Kathleen Matz, a volunteer from the University of Missouri said, “I love Ag Day because I get to see students be introduced to things they’ve never seen or thought about before.”
Students and staff alike went to Ag Day to learn about agriculture. “The best part of Ag day is seeing students learn more about agriculture and learning more about it myself and I enjoy seeing how it brings the community together.” Sawyer Wade, a design teacher said. Junior Charlie Adam said, “My favorite part of Ag day is seeing and petting the goats and sheep.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, “Agriculture, food, and related industries contributed roughly $1.26 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product. This accounts for 5.4% of the United States budget every year.”
Agriculture Day, led by the Future Farmers of America (FFA), shows students the importance of agriculture by telling us about how it works through their studies and studies from other sources. Missouri ranks second in the number of farms and hay production in the U.S. and Missouri alone accounts for 128.6 billion dollars for the U.S. economy annually. According to the American Farm Bureau Association, “Americans enjoy a food supply that is abundant, affordable, and among the world’s safest, thanks in large part to the efficiency and productivity of America’s farm and ranch families.”
“I believe that Ag is important because it allows all of the Ag students to show off their work and passions to their peers,” said Mathew Praiswater. Praiswater has taught Ag classes at Battle for the past five years.