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The future of Idaho ag: big challenges, bigger
opportunities |
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August 4, 2017 |
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By U.S. Congressman Raul Labrador
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Agriculture is our
wisest pursuit, because it will in the end
contribute most to real wealth, good morals and
happiness.” Here in Idaho, we know that
firsthand.
Agriculture is one of our largest, most
important industries and a major part of our
heritage.
Over 40,000 Idahoans work in the ag industry and
20 percent of Idaho’s sales each year are
generated by agriculture and food/beverage
processing. On any given day, dairymen in the
Magic Valley, wheat growers on the Palouse and
onion growers in Payette County are generating
the food and beverages we need to survive and
flourish.
Idaho agriculture is typically a family-centered
industry, with farms and ranches often owned and
worked by a single family and passed down from
generation to generation. Agriculture inspires
the kind of cultural values that define the best
of Idaho – self-reliance, family cooperation,
community trust, and true understanding of
nature.
As Idahoans, we can take pride in our ag
industry – not just for its economic benefits,
which are numerous, but also because of its
unique place in preserving the Idaho spirit.
To sustain that spirit, the next generation of
Idaho farmers and ranchers are hard at work,
learning the trade from their moms and dads,
friends and neighbors and great leaders at
organizations like FFA.
FFA, which was founded as Future Farmers of
America in 1928, is a national student
organization dedicated to supporting and
promoting agricultural education. FFA helps
middle and high school students prepare for
careers in business, science, horticulture,
forestry and many other diverse fields – making
classroom instruction come to life through
realistic, hands-on applications.
Today, nearly 650,000 students are FFA members,
making it one of the largest youth organizations
in America.
Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting two
young Idahoans who are taking a leadership role
in FFA: Randy Clements of DuBois and Lindsey
Sowell of Wilder. They are Idaho’s Student State
Officers and they were in Washington, D.C., for
FFA’s State Presidents’ Conference (SPC).
SPC is an annual conference in which the Student
State Officers from every state get together to
advocate for agricultural education and share
ideas.
I’ve had the pleasure of meeting FFA Student
State Officers most years I’ve been in Congress.
When I talk with these young leaders, I am
excited for the future of Idaho agriculture and
those who work in it.
Lindsey and Randy are great examples.
Lindsay’s family works in the dairy industry and
Randy’s works in the beef industry. They both
want to stay in agriculture and grow as leaders.
We need them.
As Randy told me and my staff, in the next 35
years, the world population will grow from 7.5
billion to 9.5 billion. That’s an extra two
billion people to feed. Who will feed them?
That seems like a great challenge, but it’s also
a great opportunity. With future leaders like
Lindsey and Randy, I know Idaho agriculture will
be ready to seize that opportunity and grow even
further.
To learn more about Idaho agriculture, please
watch this
great video produced by the Idaho State
Department of Agriculture last year. See for
yourself how Idaho’s farmers are contributing to
our economy and our way of life. I’m proud of
Idaho’s farmers and I will always be a strong
advocate for them. |
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