What do you wish the general population knew about the agricultural industry and how would you help educate people on the topic? That was the theme in the Culver’s Third Annual FFA Essay Contest and three FFA students nailed it.
Culver’s awarded money to the winning writers’ FFA chapters to help fund trips to the 2017 National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis, Oct. 25–28. As the first-place winner, Skyler B.’s DeWitt Central FFA Chapter in Iowa will receive $7,500. Emily S. from Lincoln FFA in California and Morgan J. from Denver City FFA in Texas will receive $5,000 and $2,500 respectively to support their chapters’ trips to Indianapolis.
“With each year of the essay contest, we continue to be impressed by FFA members’ knowledge of agriculture and their passion for sharing what they do with others,” said Jessie Corning, senior marketing manager for Culver’s. “Not only is the contest a great way for us to show our support for these deserving students, but it’s also an opportunity to educate ourselves about the opinions of our next generation of agricultural leaders.”
The three students’ essays rose to the top of over 650 entries. Here are some excerpts from the winning essays:
Skyler: “The agriculture industry is not just farming. It’s engineering and sales, it’s leadership and public speaking, it’s wildlife conservation and fisheries, and so much more. It’s a wide range of career possibilities—some of which haven’t even been discovered today but will be available in the near future. The landscape of our agricultural world is changing, and the future possibilities are endless.”
Emily: “I once read, ‘Once in your lifetime you may need a lawyer, doctor, or police officer, but every day, three times a day, you need a farmer,’ and though this is true, farmers and agriculturalists provide so much more for the everyday person than just food. They clothe them, produce products to allow their cars to run, and so much more.”
Morgan: “With the average American being at least three generations removed from the family farm, it has become increasingly difficult to keep consumers aware and up-to-date on the ever-evolving agricultural industry. For these consumers living in the advanced, industrialized society that we do today, it has become harder and harder to fully understand the lives of modern farmers.”
This essay contest is part of Culver’s Thank You Farmers program, which recognizes how vital agriculture is to Culver’s success.
