For this Why Ag Wednesday we will be highlighting Adrian Schunk from Mason, Michigan.
“When I walked into room 80 of Mason high school on my first day of ag class seven years ago, I thought agriculture was only livestock and county fairs. The only experience I had with the industry was showing pigs, and honestly, it was not a huge passion of mine. Animals are great, they just weren’t what I was most interested in learning about. I was interested in learning about people. Little did I know, that first day of animal science would turn into a six-year journey in an organization that taught me everything I know about communication, leadership, and serving people well.”
We asked Adrian how the FFA has shaped her view on the agricultural industry and she answered with, “When I think about how FFA has shaped my view of the agriculture industry, it has taught me that agriculture is about people more than anything else. People caring for land, people caring for animals, people caring for the food we eat, and people caring for each other. FFA has taught me that the people of agriculture are incredibly authentic, passionate, and driven. I have found this to be true whether they are an elementary 4-H member showing animals at the county fair, a food scientist working for Kellogg, an urban FFA member in Chicago, a seed salesman in Missouri, a reindeer farmer in Alaska, or a leadership development specialist working for Elanco Animal Health. These people have taught me about agriculture, to be sure. But they have taught me even more about how to lead and care for others – then use those skills to make an impact on an industry that feeds the world.”
