If I were to walk into a grocery store today and ask someone what “organic” means or what a “GMO” is, I would most likely be met with a blank stare or some concocted, false, denotation. As people become further and further removed from the farm, their knowledge of agriculture and where their food comes from dwindles. This can be combatted by students taking an agricultural education class. I understand that schedules of students can be packed; however, I believe that having an agricultural education class is so important, a space can be made for it. This agricultural education class would only be required for one year, and its benefits are countless. Implementing a mandatory agriculture education class would help inform the modern consumer, stress the importance of agriculture to students, and gain back the public’s trust in agriculture.
Although many of the labels on food in the grocery store seem straightforward, many of them are easily misconstrued. The “Antibiotic-free meat” label is thrown all over meat at the grocery store, but what does it really mean? It seems simple enough--- meat without antibiotics in it. However, the consumer often does not know that all meat being sold in the grocery store is antibiotic free, and there is no need to pay extra for the “antibiotic-free” label. Companies are preying on the modern consumer’s lack of knowledge about agriculture, and this practice could be solved by requiring one year of agriculture education for every high school student.
Furthermore, agriculture is a part of each and every person’s daily life. Many people don’t make the connection that the clothes they wear and the food they eat are products of agriculture. Students often forget how much of their lives revolve around agriculture. I personally have an agricultural background and still I was surprised by how many different parts of my life agriculture is involved. Having a mandatory agriculture education class would show students all of the ways agriculture affect them that are regularly forgotten.
One of the biggest enemies to agriculture is media. Media has given more false information and unnecessary fear than any other source. Many people don’t want to dig deep or spend the time to find correct information about how their food is grown or what modern agriculture practices include. Unfortunately, usually the first article of information people find is something that is either not true or written at such a high level with such complicated diction, it is hard to understand. If Chillicothe High School were to require an agricultural education class, it would help students not only understand the jargon used in these informational articles, but it would also help create that trust between the consumer and the farmer. Many times, if people know exactly what’s happening, the knowledge facilitates trusting the practices.
The students at Chillicothe High School need to know these things about agriculture before continuing on to college. The modern consumer needs to be informed, students need to understand the importance of agriculture, and the public needs to be able to trust agriculture. These are all reasons why Chillicothe High School needs to implement an agricultural education class.
Although many of the labels on food in the grocery store seem straightforward, many of them are easily misconstrued. The “Antibiotic-free meat” label is thrown all over meat at the grocery store, but what does it really mean? It seems simple enough--- meat without antibiotics in it. However, the consumer often does not know that all meat being sold in the grocery store is antibiotic free, and there is no need to pay extra for the “antibiotic-free” label. Companies are preying on the modern consumer’s lack of knowledge about agriculture, and this practice could be solved by requiring one year of agriculture education for every high school student.
Furthermore, agriculture is a part of each and every person’s daily life. Many people don’t make the connection that the clothes they wear and the food they eat are products of agriculture. Students often forget how much of their lives revolve around agriculture. I personally have an agricultural background and still I was surprised by how many different parts of my life agriculture is involved. Having a mandatory agriculture education class would show students all of the ways agriculture affect them that are regularly forgotten.
One of the biggest enemies to agriculture is media. Media has given more false information and unnecessary fear than any other source. Many people don’t want to dig deep or spend the time to find correct information about how their food is grown or what modern agriculture practices include. Unfortunately, usually the first article of information people find is something that is either not true or written at such a high level with such complicated diction, it is hard to understand. If Chillicothe High School were to require an agricultural education class, it would help students not only understand the jargon used in these informational articles, but it would also help create that trust between the consumer and the farmer. Many times, if people know exactly what’s happening, the knowledge facilitates trusting the practices.
The students at Chillicothe High School need to know these things about agriculture before continuing on to college. The modern consumer needs to be informed, students need to understand the importance of agriculture, and the public needs to be able to trust agriculture. These are all reasons why Chillicothe High School needs to implement an agricultural education class.