How many of us have taken time out to think about how much we use agriculture in our daily
lives? Many people have become complacent and not aware of the agricultural activity
around them and the effect it has on all of us. We as Americans should be proud that good quality food, fiber and other
agricultural products are easily accessible and affordable.
In the early 1800s, over 90 percent of the
population of the United States was rural, most of them farmers. By 1990, only 200 years
later, barely 2 percent of our population consisted of farmers. That figure is closer to
1.8 percent for 1999.
The agriculture we have today in the United States
is unique. No nation has ever had so few people actively farming. This has isolated most
people from rural life and from an appreciation of the complexities and uncertainties of
food production. For the most part, people take agricultural production for granted. Our
society has had no experience with true food scarcity. Our supermarkets always have full
shelves and food is cheap. Today we spend only 10 percent of our income on food. In 1950
we spent 22 percent of our income on food, and in 1935 a moderate income farm family in
North Carolina spent 47 percent of their total living on food.
In the 1960s, one farmer could produce enough food
to feed approximately 60 people. Today one farmer can produce enough food to feed over 165
people. Education and technology have enabled farmers to increase yields and to become
more efficient. This has raised the bar of competition for farmers. To remain profitable,
they must stay on the cutting edge of technology relating to their profession. They must
continually keep abreast of the ever changing varieties of crops, cultural practices,
fluctuating market prices for livestock and other agricultural commodities as well as
environmental concerns.
The primary responsibility of an Agricultural
Extension Agent is to teach local farmers how to implement management practices on their
farm so they may remain viable. The information supplied by the agent is the result of
scientific research conducted by universities across the nation as well as situations and
experiences on other farms. It is important for this information to be brought to the
local farming community in a timely manner that will influence farmers to put these
methods into practice.
Agricultural Extension agents work to make farmers
more aware of resources and other agencies available to them in their communities and the
services they offer. This is done in a variety of ways: newsletters, newspaper columns,
field days, educational meetings, one-on-one counseling and demonstration trials. If our
country is to remain at the forefront of agricultural production and technology, it is
imperative to work together to obtain the common goal of maintaining a viable and
successful farming community. The Cooperative Extension Service is committed to the
sustainability of agriculture in Rowan County, North Carolina and the country.
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