What do people think of when they hear the word agriculture? More often than not the answer will probably be food or animals. They might think of farmers and ranchers that do no more than raising livestock or growing crops and sell it for the purposes of food. The agriculture industry involves journalism, businesses, engineering and many other areas of work. Not only does agriculture involve adults, the agriculture industry has also found a way to involve the youth, giving them opportunities to start young in this career field and learn early what skills are needed to be successful in this career path and in life.

Farmers all across America and all across the world work day in and day out growing different things so that the world can eat. When you think about feeding the entire world, that’s a pretty big job. Only 2 percent of the United States’ population is involved in agriculture. That being said, the United States is the largest export for many different food products, so essentially 2 percent are not only feeding the U.S., they are also feeding the world. Now since feeding the world is such a big job, it can’t be done without a support system. There are many behind the scenes people in agriculture.

There are many other industries that support the food production industries. One of the bigger support industries in agriculture is the ag communications industry. Agriculture communications and journalism is a field that is primarily involved in exactly what it sounds like -- communicating with the public what is going on in the world of agriculture. This career can entail anything from being a news broadcaster to writing for an agriculture magazine or even an image consultant for large agricultural based companies. The job outlook for ag communications is expected to grow much faster than the average. Making this a career with plenty of demand. The salary is anywhere from $25,000 to $45,000 with increase opportunities. Salaries will vary based on location and exact job description.

When the phrase “agricultural-based businesses” is said, most would think of a farmer selling his livestock or his crop and that being his business. However, on the other side of that there are agricultural-based businesses that have to sell to the farmer such as tractor or large equipment or the people who sell farmers things like fertilizer, livestock feed or even pesticide. The people aren’t working on a farm or selling the main product but they are selling what the farmer needs to produce the main product. Professionals in agriculture sales sell the products related to food and crop production and provide customer service as representatives of their company.

While ag sales and ag communications are two big fields within agriculture other than farming, they are not the only ones. For example, semi-truck drivers are a big part of agriculture. They are the ones that transport the product from one place to another. For instance, they can take the oranges that are grown in Florida and take them to New York -- or even Montana for example. There is also a genetic scientist in agriculture.

These people spend their time just studying the genetics of crops and animals. They help producers crossbreeds of cows for example to get the best meat quality, or they can tell what two horse breeds need to be crossed to get a certain color or muscular build. Veterinarians are there for the farmers when their animals are sick or they are also there to help the farmers know what they should be vaccinating their animals with to keep them healthy.

Accountants or budget managers are important to agriculture as they help companies or even individual farmers manage their money to keep the certain operation going whether that be keeping a beef operation going or a large scale ag chemicals company running. People like banks are a part of agriculture too as they can help farmers start their operations or even give them loans to keep their operations going during tough times.

To be in the new generation of agriculturists is to take on the responsibility of those that have come before us. Growing up, it has been our parents and grandparents that have held the responsibility of advocating for the agriculture industry, producing yields high enough to feed millions of people, and educating us so that we could continue in their footsteps.

While it has seemed like a long time coming now is the time for the new generation of agriculturists to start taking action. The average age of farmers and ranch is 56 years old and the age of farmers and ranchers has steadily increased over the past 30 years. That means that not enough young agriculturists are following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents.

That being said that also means that eventually, the average age of farmers and ranchers will be too old to continue to produce what is needed to feed people around the world. It's a scary thought to think that in 30 years there won't be enough farmers and ranchers to feed the population because one or two people can't do it. It will take an entire generation and more to feed the world in 2050. I'm sure some people think that there will be machines that are advanced enough in 2050 to potentially perform all parts of the production process. However, someone has to design those machines.

That being said the agriculture industry involves so much more than just farming. The new generation is responsible for so much more than just farming its self. It is our job to fill all of the positions that are needed to keep the agriculture industry going. We take on the responsibility of inventing the technology to produce yields high than ever before. We are responsible for advocating for the agriculture industry.

The agriculture industry is under more scrutiny now than ever in the past so, it is our job to show people what the industry is really about, that all things seen on social media by special interests groups aren't true, and that we aren't bad people nor do we have bad intentions. Lastly, it is our job to educate the youth that is to follow in our footsteps. We can teach them from a young age to fall in love with the industry just as we have. As young agriculturists, it is our duty to make sure that when we retire that we are leaving the industry in good hands which can only be done through education.