Morgan Tillman, an eighth grade student at Piedmont Academy, was recently honored by winning the district essay contest for Georgia Farm Bureau. The middle school essay contest is an opportunity for Georgia Farm Bureau to reach out to young people about the importance of agriculture.
There were 58 entries in the art contest and 63 entries in the essay contest.

WHAT WOULD WE BE WITHOUT AGRICULTURE?
     By Morgan Tillman

Have you ever thought your life was centered around a farm? Well, if you have not, stop and think about it for a minute. Everything you eat and the clothes you wear most likely came from a farm. It might sound a little strange, but it is true. Farmers spend their entire lives catering to the needs of me, you, and the world. But, I will only tell you about how farming affects me and my community, my state, and the world.

First of all, farming is very important to me. My family has been doing it for generations. They had lost their poultry for about two years because their supplier had gone bankrupt, but recently they had got the business. This was a good thing because they relied heavily on their income from poultry. It makes me feel so proud to see the poultry raised by my family for sale. I think that everyone in my community could be eating the poultry they raised locally! Would that be cool or what?

Georgia's largest industry is agriculture. Our main crops are cotton, peanuts, and soybeans. Have you ever thought about climbing into your nice, warm bed on a cold winter night? Your sheets are probably made of cotton. One bail of cotton can weigh five hundred pounds and make two hundred and forty-nine bed sheets. Do you remember being a little kid and you finally got to have a cup of boiled peanuts? Someone showed you how to crack them open; all the juice ran out and it tasted a little salty. Finally, you reached inside and it tasted amazing. Since one of Georgia's largest crops is peanuts, those boiled peanuts probably came from Georgia.
The world is a giant place. Have you ever considered how huge it is? Farmers provide the entire world with the food and clothing they need. But, the United States is a big part in helping out. We export billions of produce products to many countries that are not able or are not equipped properly to produce their own food. This helps the U.S. grow economically and also provides other countries in need.

When I think of the word agriculture, I think of life. Agriculture means clothes on my back and a full belly when I lie down at night. If we did not have agriculture, we would probably be nowhere near where we are today. My life and yours would be totally different. Agriculture makes things in life easier. We do not have to go out every day and pick our own food from the garden, and we don't have to raise our own livestock. All we have to do is go to the store and there it is waiting to be bought. I am very thankful for agriculture. It has been a big impact on my life and has made it better!