Food For America (197-)

[Music] Ever thought about where a cheeseburger comes from? We're members of the Future Farmers of America, answering questions about and telling the story of United States agriculture. That's all a part of what we're learning. Telling kids about the farming and aggra business involved in producing food like a cheeseburger is one way an FFA chapter can work with elementary schools. [Music] That hamburger bun started as a tiny wheat seed. A lot happened to it along the way. Producing seeds, maintaining equipment, planting, protecting against insects and disease, harvesting, baking, and packaging. Those are just some of the steps in producing a hamburger bun. [Music] You can't grow a hamburger patty. You have to raise beef cattle to provide the meat to grind into hamburger. That takes a lot of time and skill. Growing feed grain or pasture, breeding cattle, shipping, marketing, and processing are all important steps in bringing that hamburger patty to your table. [Music] If it's a cheeseburger you want, that means the dairy farmer and a whole dairy processing industry must work to produce that slice of cheese. Special feed mixtures, proper milk handling, and careful breeding. They all ensure quality milk and high milk production. Cheesem is a science handed down for [Music] generations. We sometimes want a little extra on our cheeseburger like pickles and tomatoes. It's backed agriculture and aggra business for cucumbers and tomatoes. That means more testing by scientists and more hard work and management by the [Music] farmer. It takes special recipes and knowhow to produce that little round slice of cucumber we call a pickle. [Music] Kids in elementary school discover that there is plenty to learn when it comes to the agriculture and aggra business involved in the production of a cheeseburger. and we enjoy sharing some of our knowledge of agricultural production and processing. We're learning more about agriculture in our high school vocational agriculture classrooms, in our work experience programs, and in our FFA activities. The agriculture involved in making a cheeseburger represents only a part of what it takes to produce food for America. [Music]