WHY AGRICULTURE IS IMPORTANT TO ME AND MY FAMILY
BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT

The book The Grapes of Wrath is a timeless tale of a family’s journey for food and work. This historic novel brings to life the struggles of the Great Depression. To be even more specific, the primary struggle that is dealt with is agriculture. When farmers could no longer care for their land or afford to care for their crops, the entire nation was affected. Without an effective and thriving agricultural economy, there was a serious deprivation of jobs and food resources. While many trends in economies change or fade in and out of existence, agriculture is the one constant that is always necessary to help a nation prosper. The jobs that agriculture provides are essential to the well being and existence of many families, including my own. Agriculture has been an integral part of my family for many generations. My great grandfather McMann immigrated from Ireland and raised his family on a dairy farm in Northeastern Michigan. His five sons continued to farm the land and work on the farm when he went to work in the car factory in Flint to supplement their income. My great grandmother, Georgia Taylor, raised her family on a farm in South Georgia. After her husband passed away, she rented her land and continued to support her children by working as the lunch room manager at the local school. Many people came from miles around for the best mid-day meal in South Georgia. Today my family still enjoys the family farm in Dooly County that once belonged to my great-grandmother Taylor. We practice conservation by planting long leaf pines that in time will grow for future generations to enjoy. My father, Sammy Wright, has worked in agriculture for longer than I have been his daughter. I respect my father a great deal for his work because he works hard to provide for us and he has worked in many different capacities of the agricultural world. Agriculture has affected every generation of my family. It is both a link to the past and hope for the future. Agriculture is important to me because it is a way of life for my family and I plan to continue that tradition for generations to come.