TEXAS, USA — March 22 is National Agriculture Day, a day to honor farmworkers, farmers, ranchers, fishers, foresters and other agricultural workers who have contributed and practiced their crafts for generations.
“Agriculture, it just encompasses you know, all of our row crops from cotton is our number one enterprise, wheat, sorghum, corn and then our livestock - cow, calf operations and obviously sheep and goats and the wool industry," Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service - Tom Green County, County Extension Agent, Josh Blanek said.
Agriculture is huge in the State of Texas and one of the biggest suppliers of jobs in the Concho Valley. Blanek explains the impact it has on economic development.
“Agriculture is a huge part of the economics of Texas and you know, here locally it generates about $350 million for our local economy, provides over nine thousand jobs here in Tom Green County,” Blanek said.
Angelo State University provides students with an opportunity to learn more through its agriculture program. ASU Agriculture Department Chair, Dr. Chase Runyan, explained the importance agriculture has in our day-to-day lives.
“We are the food and fiber industry within the community and across the nation and so you start thinking about three meals a day for millions of people across the state, and so there’s going to be somebody that will help you to produce or deliver or prepare or at least somehow or another get that food product to you,” Runyan said.
Megan Eckhardt is an ASU student pursuing her master's degree in animal science.
“I’m very passionate about agriculture and the animal and meat industry, it’s a very vital part of us humans just being and living in this planet and so I grew up around agriculture and so I just wanted to pay it forward and do my part in continuing,” Eckhardt said.
Eckhardt said after graduation she plans to pursue her PhD and become an instructor or a professor at a university.