**Agriculture as a Career**

**Ronald M. Howell**

From the founding of the Jamestown Settlement in Virginia in 1607,
agriculture has been and still is one of the most important economic
activities in America today. The United States Agriculture Industry has
continued to be the most efficient and productive mechanism in the
production of goods for distribution across the world. Consequently, the
fundamentals of agriculture are very essential for every day survival
because it plays a vital role in the success of our everyday lives.
Agriculture to most people is just farming; however, to me it is not.
Agriculture not only involves the areas of farming and crop production,
but it explores the different uses of textiles and how we make our
clothes, the effectiveness of food nutrition and personal health, uses
of wood and other resources for shelter, the uses of plants to make our
environment more efficient and cleaner, conservation and preservation of
natural resources, and much more. Agriculture is always changing, and
new innovations are always emerging to help find solutions to everyday
problems. I would say that Agriculture as a Career for me was fostered
by living and working on a hay farm in Spring Grove, Virginia, a rural
town in Surry County. By growing up in this bucolic town and working on
the farm, I understand the importance of agriculture, plants, and
animals.

Currently, I am matriculating with an under-graduate degree in
Agriculture Business and Applied Economics at Virginia State University.
Upon completion of my bachelors' degree, I want to further my education
to pursue a graduate degree in Agronomy or Environmental Science. I
would like to use the knowledge that I obtain from my degrees to help
and work with farmers, youth, and other people in rural communities on
agriculture and economic issues, and also develop innovative programs
that focus on educating them about the importance of rural development.
Generally, rural development deals with the processes of change in rural
societies across the nation. Having grown up in a rural county in
Virginia a major concern of mine is to help develop rural areas across
the nation. It is a special concern of mine to help farmers and other
people understand important issues such as income distribution, debt
alleviation, and proper utilization and access to public goods and
services in rural areas. Too, working to help educate farmers as well as
other people about economics, financial management, and governmental
policies are some of the tools needed to enhance the communities that
they live in. By having such a career that deals with rural development,
I will not only work to enhance agricultural production but also to
improve the entire rural economy overall.

Over the summer I had an opportunity to work for the USDA Farm Service
Agency (FSA). I profited from an astounding level of professional
experience and knowledge that has assisted me in my endeavors to
complete my degree. I learned about the numerous farm and loan programs
that FSA offers farmers in different counties. I also enjoyed
interacting with a countless number of farmers and assisting many of
them with matters requested. Aiding each of them gave me a feeling of
personal satisfaction knowing that I have helped someone. This
internship gave me the opportunity to see what rural farmers needed to
help them sustain their farms and daily lives. Overall, I must say that
receiving this internship has had a major positive impact upon my life
professionally, intellectually, and personally. Most importantly, I have
gained a sense of what the FSA is all about, and its importance as a
public agency. Ultimately, by working for FSA, it has strengthened my
passion to work with farmers that live and work in rural areas.

Agriculture is my career choice for several reasons. I enjoy working
with farmers in the community, and I find that it is very important that
we work hard to support our farmers because ultimately they are the ones
that feed America. We all know that agriculture is forever changing and
I know that this field will definitely lead me to an exciting job
dealing with farmers and working to develop rural communities and
counties. Ultimately, my career in agriculture will help empower rural
communities and cultivate a sound future for the American Agriculture
Industry. So, I'll say that by studying agriculture and making a career
of it, I cannot go wrong.