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Fifth graders across Tennessee brainstormed why agriculture is important for this year’s Women’s Leadership and Ag in the Classroom essay contest.
Amy Beckham: Why is Agriculture Important? Hello there and welcome to Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Amy Beckham.
Lyra Craighead: I feel like the world wouldn’t be the same as it is today if we didn’t have agriculture and I feel like we need it.
Amy Beckham: Fifth graders across Tennessee brainstormed why agriculture is important for this year’s Women’s Leadership and Ag in the Classroom essay contest. And out of all those fifth graders, Lyra Craighead from Clay County was announced as state winner. She explains a little why life as we know it couldn’t exist without our most important industry.
Lyra Craighead: We really couldn’t, because we wouldn’t have food because like I said in my speech, if you wanted a hamburger, if we didn’t have farmers, you couldn’t have the hamburger.
Amy Beckham: Growing up in the rural community of Clay County, Lyra has been exposed to agriculture since birth, and has many family members involved in the industry, of whom she credits her understanding of farm life to.
Lyra Craighead: My grandfather is a poultry farmer, and I see him like every day and he tells me all about – my aunt, she’s in college for agriculture and she tells me a lot about the stuff that she learns in college and so that’s another reason how I learned about it.
Amy Beckham: Lyra’s teacher, Dana Hammer, has taught school for the past 33 years and currently teaches at Celina K-8 where Lyra is a student. Mrs. Hammer shares how excited she was for Lyra’s accomplishment.
Dana Hammer: She was in the top three finalists. I was so excited just about that. And then, you know, for her to win. I knew it was a great essay, but she did it. I mean, she did it at home and then brought it in. It was a great essay.
Amy Beckham: And during her 33 years of teaching, Mrs. Hammer says she has always found it important to share where our food, fiber and fuel comes from.
Dana Hammer: They need to know farm to table, you know where it’s coming from.
Amy Beckham: As the state winner Lyra received $300 and Mrs. Hammer also received $100. We also want to congratulate the other two finalists in the contest – second place winner, Makayla Stewart of Franklin County and third place winner, Allynn Lee of Overton County. All in all a great way to get students thinking about why agriculture is important. For Tennessee Home and Farm Radio, I’m Amy Beckham.
