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By NANCY WRIGHT
Traveler Correspondent

Have you have relied on agriculture today?

If you answered no, then you must be hungry and naked.

Because if you have eaten or worn clothes, you have benefited from agriculture in some way today - and everyday.

The above is just one example that Arkansas City High School agriculture science teacher Cory Epler uses to teach students about how important agriculture is and how it provides the needs that many take for granted.

"Currently, less than two percent of the U.S. population is involved in farming or production agriculture," said Epler.

The estimates are that one U.S. farmer feeds 135 people per year. The students in Epler's agriculture science class analyze the population growth of the world, which is currently growing by approximately 140 people per minute, and then are challenged to look at what the increasing population means to a decreasing number of farmers.

"How do we feed the world?" is just one of the topics students examine.

"One of the answers to meet the growing needs of the population is through farmers embracing technology," Epler tells his students.

"Like any business, survival will depend on those who are willing to adapt. Farmers are learning to increase their productivity and become more efficient."

Students are also taught that farming must now include looking at value-added products, such as, marketing the oil, which is used in plastics, crayons and even candles, from their soybean crops.

Students are taught other ways to diversify the farm, such as, planting corn and after harvest, selling the corn stalks. Agri-tourism is another way farming has diversified and added to the value of crops; reflected in the growing popularity of corn mazes, wineries and even pumpkin patches.

Cory Epler knows farming.

He grew up on a farm near Columbus, Kan., where his father still farms with his uncle and cousin.

He loves agriculture. He loves sharing his passion, knowledge and experience in agriculture with his students. He loves it when he sees the "ah, ha!" moment in students' faces as they get what he's trying to teach them.

Since coming to ACHS five years ago, Epler has worked to modernize the agriculture science program at the school. He has seen the classes offered grow in numbers and expand into subject matters kids want to learn.

And the numbers of students in agriculture science classes might surprise many. The senior high has 860 students: 330 of those are enrolled in some form of agriculture classes and 100 students are members of the school's Future Farmers of America chapter.

Interestingly enough, only 20-25% of the 330 students involved in ag classes come from a production agriculture background, which includes farming and ranching.

Epler's goal as a teacher is to show students the importance of agriculture and the many opportunities it holds.

While only two percent is involved in agriculture production, twenty percent of the U.S. population is involved in indirect agriculture, such as marketing, veterinary medicine, milling science, food science, landscaping, greenhouses, teaching and even journalism.

The ag department at the senior high has added a female ag teacher and has seen an increase in the number of female students enrolled in courses. The department hopes to continue to grow and become even more diverse to reflect the changing face of the community and school population.

And though the ag department sees many students who want to go to college and return home to their family farms, it also sees what Epler called, "accidental farmers."

"The ag ed program is so diverse it offers to many a place to fit in and the cool thing about our program is that we are able to see many of the students for four years, which allows us as teachers to have a role as mentors, too."

"Our hope in the ag department is to have our students take an interest in agriculture, find something they are passionate about and to get involved in agriculture, either indirectly or in actual production."