Agricultural WebQuest Series

Missouri Farm Bureau and Missouri State University

Why is Agriculture Important to Me?

Do you know where your jeans, t-shirt, or other clothing come from?  Do you know where your last meal came from?  It is a growing concern in your state’s Department of Agriculture that more and more of the population does not realize the importance of agriculture in their daily lives.  They believe that their food comes from the grocery store not from production agriculture.  Your Department of Agriculture has set up a special task force of young individuals to explore and make proposals  to educate the growing population and help them understand agriculture’s importance in our lives and the state’s economy.

Task

For this WebQuest you will:

Write a short story about the history of agriculture in your state. Compare what was grown at the time it became a state to what is grown in your state today.  Include crops and livestock produced throughout this period.

Select four important commodities (agricultural products) grown in your state.  Write a paragraph about the production of each of them and include a drawing or picture of each.  Include in your discussion, an outline of the steps explaining how that product gets from the farm to your home.

Find statistics about agriculture’s impact on your state.  Use those statistics to complete a poster board or PowerPoint presentation for the governor’s agriculture task force that can be used to help educate the general public about the importance of agriculture in your state.

Good luck on your quest.  The governor’s office will be waiting on your results in a very timely manner

Process

Step 1:  Find your state's homepage and research its agricultural history. (Hint:  Use an approved search vehicle.  Use the key words: "name of your state" agricultural history)

Step 2:  Explore commodities in the state.

Step 3:  Find facts, links, and statistics on these sites.

Step 4:   Look at charts about acres of crops grown.

Step 5:  Complete your presentation. Include your history, pictures or drawings, and and information about how these products are important to your state.  Be sure to outline the steps required to grow, produce, harvest and prepare the product for the consumer .

Conclusion

You have been successful in educating our non-agricultural citizens.  Your efforts will help bridge the gap between producer and consumer.  By completing this quest, you have learned the value of agriculture in your everyday life.

Evaluation

Teacher Page.

Credits

This WebQuest was created by teachers participating in Missouri's Agriculture in the Classroom program at Missouri State University through a USDA grant.  The template on this site was adapted from a template from The WebQuest Page and the original was designed by Dr. Lyndon Irwin.  Assistance for this project was provided by Mrs. Barbara Irwin, M.S. and Mrs. Diane Olson, M.S.

Teachers are encouraged to adapt this lesson for classroom use only.  No part of this publication may be transmitted, stored, recorded or published in any form without written permission from Missouri Farm Bureau.

This page was developed by Eugene Meyer, reviewed by Lyndon and Barbara Irwin and is maintained by Missouri Farm Bureau.

Please address questions to Diane Olson at Missouri Farm Bureau or Dr. Lyndon Irwin at Missouri State University. 

©2004 Missouri Farm Bureau, All Rights Reserved!

Last revised on June 8, 2006