One of the daily tasks we undertake in Arkansas Farm Bureau is the effort to educate people about the important role the men and women of agriculture — farmers and ranchers — play in our society.

Those efforts take on many forms, from an aggressive Ag-in-the-Classroom program — where we work to help teachers incorporate agriculture into the curriculua used to teach our children math, science and history — to information campaigns that put a face on Arkansas agriculture.

I was encouraged recently when I read some of the winning entries from an essay contest held in conjunction with our Ag-in-the-Classroom program. In this contest, open to 7th and 8th graders across the state, the students were asked to consider the theme “If it weren’t for our farmers….”

Their thoughts were reasoned, detailed and, in some cases, funny. I share with you some of the winning entries.

• From the first-place entry of 8th grader Remington Reed of Magnolia, “If it weren’t for farmers, life would not be as easy as it is today. Without the contributions of the agricultural community, you couldn’t buy food, clothes or wood products so easily at the store.

“First, we would not have food readily available. Farmers grow all of the produce and meat we get at the stores. If they were to stop this process, families all over the United States, as well as countries all over the world, would have to start farming themselves. This is something most people wouldn’t have the knowledge or resources to do on their own.

“In addition to that, sickness would start due to the lack of nutrition provided by the variety of foods available through mass farming. Therefore, we are highly dependent on farmers for food.

“Second, thanks to farmers we can just go to a department store and buy some clothes. If it were not for cotton farmers, textile companies would not have fibers to make clothes like blue jeans, etc. We would have to grow our own cotton, pick it, sort it, weave it and then, finally, sew it to make our own clothes.

“Yet again, not many people would have the resources for such activities. People would possibly go around barely dressed at all. In fact, if it weren’t for our farmers, we wouldn’t even have ‘paper’ money.

“Last, but not least, tree farmers supply us with lumber, paper, pencils, packaging and books. The agricultural society must supply the manufactures so they can supply us with these items. Without this, we would have to grow our own trees, which would take longer than a lifetime, then make our products.

“In short, we depend on farmers for pretty much everything. Without them, we would be ultimately helpless. Without farmers, my life and your life would not possibly be the same.”

Remington is, obviously, wise beyond his years.

• Kaitlyn Dickinson, an 8th grader from Gurdon, was second in the competition. In part, her report said, “Farming is their life, not just their job. It’s a fierce and tiring job that requires a lot of work and perseverance. A percentage of it falls into the hands of nature, like soil conditions and the weather, but that does not stop these incredible agriculturists from doing something they love.

“I mean, imagine taking a little baby seed and helping it grow, with the proper means, into a flourishing, prosperous piece of nourishment. That’s why, if it weren’t for (farmers), we would more than likely die out or become extinct.”

• And Jessica Post of Paris had my favorite line from the entries when she wrote, “Who do you know that doesn’t like bacon?”

Jessica also wrote, “Imagine walking into a grocery story to find that there weren’t any fruits and vegetables left. That’s what would happen if there were no more farmers.…

“Obviously, we owe a lot to our farmers.”

Obviously, these students are right. We owe a lot to our farmers and ranchers, those who live close to the land.

If we all contemplated the food for thought raised by the essay contest “If it weren’t for our farmers …, we’d each go out of our way to thank a farmer today.