MY ROOTS IN AGRICULTURE
Written by Alexandra Merritt
The famous speech “God Made a Farmer” given by Paul Harvey in 1978 is the perfect example of my passion for agriculture. These two things are: service to others and family. From a very young age, I have been taught to whom much is given, much is expected. That fundamental saying has led me to be incredibly passionate about serving others. I believe my life mission centers around agriculture and service and I am actively planning a career that meshes both of those together.
Without argument, the agriculture field is constantly serving the world. People involved in the ag industry are some of the first people to jump in and serve wherever needed. Farmers donate ground pork to their local food pantries, feeding programs, or church ministries. Ag communicators and educators spend countless hours planning Ag Day events, Farming in the Classroom material, and educational displays to create engaging ways to convey their messages to people who have never stepped foot on a farm. 4-H members and FFA chapters create food drives for their local food pantries in an effort to show their communities that farmers feed their neighbors and have the hearts of a servant. Little kids, the ones who dream of being the next generation of the family farm, dream of being just like their dad, spend as many hours as possible driving a grain cart during harvest so they can learn enough to eventually take over the family farm.
Service is everywhere in agriculture. One of my biggest accomplishments is my highschool FFA SAE. I started a fundraiser called “Harvest for Hunger” where the local agriculture community donates funds to the local food bank in my community. After I graduated highschool, my brother and sister took over the project. I am very proud to say that in just five years we have raised over $48,000. Agriculture is the 1% that feeds the other 99%. I believe that no other industry works as hard to serve our neighbors and our world. Farmers are forever serving those around them.
The other thing that drives my passion for agriculture is the idea of family. I see family both as my family that I live and farm with and the entire agriculture industry. As someone from a very large farming family, agriculture was a way of life before I even took my first steps. I am a 5th generation farmer on my family farm that was started by my great-great grandparents. My family is built on agriculture with a common goal that unites us, to not only feed the world, but to feed our neighbors. I also believe that agriculture goes beyond the four walls of our house, and that every single person in the agriculture industry is family. We all work together in one way or another to feed the world. We are coming up with the newest ideas and we work to make each other better everyday. The agriculture family serves, the agriculture family works hard, and the agriculture family loves this industry.
Alexandra Merritt
Written by
Purdue sophomore in Agricultural Communication & Agricultural Sales & Marketing