AT2
Agriculture Management, Economics, & Sales
Influences in Agribusiness
Unit: Agribusiness in Today’s Agriculture Industry
Lesson Title: Influences in Agribusiness
Standards
CS.09.03.01.a. Use the technological systems to acquire information related to AFNR.
CS.09.03.01.c. Demonstrate the use of technology in linking information from various
sources.
CS.09.01.01.c. Describe the impacts of AFNR decisions on global markets and
environmental health.
CS.04.01.01.c. Examine economic, social and technological changes and spotlight their
impact on AFNR professional organizations and the industry.
CS.03.01.01.a. Use basic technical and business writing skills.
CS.01.05.01.c. Articulate current issues those are important to the local, state, national
and global communities.
CS.01.05.01.b. Analyze the impact of trends and issues on the community.
CS.01.05.01.a. Discuss trends and issues important to the community.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and
informational texts independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text,
including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and
explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of
the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of
substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce,
publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing
feedback, including new arguments or information.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to
support analysis, reflection, and research.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.1 Initiate and participate effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on
grades 11–12 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own
clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of
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evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice,
points of emphasis, and tone used.
Student Learning Objectives
Slide 2 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Lesson Objective
After completing the lesson on influences in agribusiness, students will demonstrate their ability
to apply the concept in real-world situations by obtaining a minimum score of 80% on an
Agricultural Issues Portfolio.
Enabling Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will…
1. Outline government’s role in and impact of the agriculture industry, its involvement in
agribusiness, and its effect on agricultural prices.
2. Explore government agencies involved with agriculture and its effects on agriculturalists
and issues in agriculture.
3. Identify current issues in agriculture and locate ways to educate yourself and others on
these issues.
4. Define advocate, identify specific ways to advocate for agriculture, develop agriculture
related Facebook status updates, craft a letter to the editor, and role play a conversation
with an individual opposing a specific agricultural issue.
Time: Approximately 320 minutes
List of Resources
Advocate. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/advocate?s=t.
Agricultural Issues Forum. (2012, November). Retrieved from:
http://dese.mo.gov/divcareered/documents/ffa-ag-issues-forum-revised-12-12.pdf.
Bacon K., Boren N., Kirkwood V., Birkenholz R., Plain R., Rohrbach N.
(1988). Agriculture Management and Economics Instructor Guide. Columbia,
MO: Instructional Materials Laboratory.
Bacon K., Boren N., Kirkwood V., Birkenholz R., Plain R., Rohrbach N.
(1988). Agriculture Management and Economics Student Reference
Guide. Columbia, MO: Instructional Materials Laboratory.
Instructional Materials Laboratory. (1997). Agribusiness Sales, Marketing, and
Management Instructor Guide. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri.
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Schneiderheinze R., Wood C. (1997). Agribusiness Sales, Marketing, and Management
Student Reference. Columbia, MO: Instructional Materials Laboratory.
List of Tools, Equipment, and Supplies
AT2 PowerPoint Presentation
AT2 Activity Sheet and Evaluation Packet
Note cards or small sheets of paper for review activity
Key Terms.
Slide 3 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
The following terms are presented in this lesson (shown in bold italics):
Advocate
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Interest Approach: Use an interest approach that will prepare the students for the lesson.
Teachers often develop approaches for their unique class and student situations. A possible
approach is included here.
Slide 4 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Have you done your part? Create a scenario for students to get them thinking about what they
have done to advocate for agriculture.
“Think long and hard about any times in the past when you have read a news story, heard a
comment that negatively portrays agriculture, witnessed a false statement about agriculture from
a friend on Facebook.
Think about how it made you feel. What emotions did you have? Were you frustrated? Mad?
Angry? Sad? Discouraged? Upset? Think about all of those emotions.
Now, did you take action to correct the misinformation being shared?
Keep your eyes closed and think about any time this has happened to you. Was there ever a time
you’ve experienced any type of misinformation being spread about agriculture?
I want you to keep your eyes closed and raise your hand if there was ever a time you witnessed
something that wasn’t true or wasn’t right that you have not responded with a positive
correction? Keep your eyes closed and raise your hand if you have ever told yourself that
someone else would step up to the plate. Let’s put our hands down and open our eyes.
We’ve all been there; it’s easy to turn the other cheek and hope someone else stands up for
agriculture. We’re here today so we can prepare ourselves to take this responsibility and make
sure our industry isn’t the victim of extreme activist groups.
Conclude interest approach by introducing lesson objectives.
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Summary of Content and Teaching Strategies
Objective 1: Outline government’s role in and impact of the agriculture
industry, its involvement in agribusiness, and its effect on agricultural prices.
Teaching Strategies
1. Ask students, “Why does the government
need to become involved in agriculture?”
Slide 5-6 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Slide 7 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
2. Ask students, “How does this involvement
impact the agriculture industry?”
Slide 8-9 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Related Content
Government’s involvement in agriculture
 Ensure safety of the food supply
 Ensure adequate food supply through
programs that expand agriculture
production – irrigation projects, research,
extension services
 Increase export earnings
 Use exports as part of foreign policy
 Protect the environment and ensure the
capacity of agriculture to produce in the
future – soil conservation programs, water
conservation, preservation of prime
farmland
 Support farm income
Historically, the major justification for government
involvement has been to maintain an ample food
supply at a reasonable price; goals and values have
changed over time, increasing government’s
involvement in the industry
 Increased production led to a large surplus
of corn
 Equilibrium was at P1 and Q1, but the
surplus shifts the supply curve from S1 to
S2
 Price then lowers to P2 and quantity
demanded increases to Q2
 To avoid this decrease in price during
periods of high production, government
storage programs would remove Q2 minus
Q1 bushels of corn to storage
 Brings supply back to S1 and equilibrium
price would temporarily be restored at P1
and Q1
Government’s impact on agriculture industry
 Food safety policies have positive and
negative effects – banning certain
herbicides and insecticides has decreased
production due to loss of crop to weeds and
insects; sanitation and waste regulations
have improved food safety but have
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3. Ask students, “What effect does this
involvement have on agricultural prices?”
Slide 10-11 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
4. Ask students, “What if there were no
government controls on agricultural
prices?”
Slide 12 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
increased production costs and agriculture
commodity costs; many small producers
have been forced out of agriculture
production
Policies to expand food supply have
increased productivity
Conservation programs have a positive
impact on the environment
Exports have increased, generating more
profits for the agriculture industry
Storage programs to control price help
producers during times of high production;
encouraged producers to depend on
government intervention to correct the
market rather than make changes
themselves to meet the demands of
competition
Government’s effect on agricultural prices
 Direct price controls – control food supply
and prices in times of military conflict;
used in peacetime when there was high
inflation and decline in wages
 Export restrictions – increase food supply
and lower domestic prices
 Reducing import restrictions – increase
food supply and lower prices by allowing
more products to be imported
 Domestic grain reserves – inflationfighting too; if grain prices are too high,
government will release some of the
reserves to increase the supply and lower
price; if prices are too low, government can
increase the price by increasing reserves
Without government price controls
 Market for meat with no price controls is at
equilibrium at P1 and Q1
 Consumers income increases due to
increase in wages, demand for meat
becomes greater and demand shifts to D2
 Consumers buy more, so prices increase
 At original price, consumers are willing
and able to buy meat at Q3 if available
 Supply remains unchanged, so a shortage
of meat will occur at price P1, equal to Q3
minus Q1
 Price for meat will rise causing more meat
to be produced and process, but will
discourage consumption
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Price and quantity demanded will thus
move to a new equilibrium at P2 and Q2
5. Have students complete AT2.1 individually
or with a partner.
Objective 2: Explore government agencies involved with agriculture and their
effects on agriculturalists and issues in agriculture.
Teaching Strategies
1. There are several agencies that work with
agricultural businesses. These agencies
can and do provide valuable services to
agricultural business persons. What are
some examples of these agencies and what
do they provide to agriculturalists?
Slide 13 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Related Content
Government Agencies Examples
 Soil and Water Conservation District
 Natural Resource District
 USDA Rural Development
 County and State Extension
 Missouri Agriculture and Small Business
Development Authority
 Industry Check Off Programs
2. Complete AT2.2. Assign students three
specific government agencies with which
to complete their scavenger hunt.
3. Have students select one of the agencies
researched and prepare a PowerPoint
presentation for the class. Be sure each
student has a different organization.
Objective 3: Identify current issues in agriculture and locate ways to educate
yourself and others on these issues.
Teaching Strategies
1. Split class into pairs. Have each pair come
up with six issues currently facing
agriculture. Give a prize or incentive for
pairs that come up with the most unique or
complex issues.
2. Share with students some common issues
facing agriculture.
Slide 14-15 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Related Content
Natural Resources/Environment/Conservation
 Clean air
 Clean water
 EPA
 On farm applications
Consumer Issues
 Food safety
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 Hormones
 Organics
Energy & Inputs
 Renewable and traditional
 Use of energy
 Ag as a source of energy
 Use of fertilizer and chemicals
Farm Policy/Row Crop Production
 Crop insurance
 Conservation practices and programs
 Farm bill
Animal Agriculture
 Animal rights
 Animal welfare
 Use of pharmaceuticals
Rural Development
 Beginning farmer programs
 Health care tax policy
 Farm to market
 Small business incubation
 Farm to school
 Specialty crops/organic
3. Facilitate a discussion on how we find
reliable information about these issues.
Here are sample questions to facilitate the
discussion:
 When you want to learn more about
these topics, where do you look?
 If friends or family members ask
you where to find more information
about their food, where do you send
them?
 Do you find yourself needing a
quick reference to dig further into
the issues?
4. Hand out AT2.3 and share slide to discuss
available resources. Visit websites during
discussion.
Slide 16-18 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
5. For “Industry” and “Government” section
of AT2.3, have students explore the
Internet to identify specific site addresses.
Record these addresses on AT2.3.
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6. If social media is available, encourage
students to find other blogs and agricultural
advocacy pages to serve as quality sources
of information.
Objective 4: Define advocate, identify specific ways to advocate for agriculture,
develop agriculture related Facebook status updates, craft a letter to the editor, and
role play a conversation with an individual opposing a specific agricultural issue.
Teaching Strategies
1. Given what we have just discovered about
current agricultural issues, it appears as
though we and others need to be advocates
for agriculture. What is an advocate?
Related Content
Advocate
 A person who serves as a supporter or
defendant of a person or specific cause
Slide 19 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
2. How can we serve as advocates to promote
agriculture? Let’s come up with at least 20
ways.
3. Share some examples and add to the list
based upon student responses.
Slide 20 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
4. Let’s take a closer look at a popular site,
Facebook. How can we advocate on
Facebook?
Slide 21 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
5. If we are trying to promote agriculture in a
Advocating for Agriculture
 Facebook
 Twitter
 YouTube videos
 Blogs
 Radio, TV, Newspapers
 Letter to the Editor
 Speak to organizations
 Host an event
 Ag in the classroom
 Hand out materials on campus
 Signs on campus
 In class
 Commenting on online stories
 Legislative visits
 Letters to legislators
Advocating on Facebook
 Status updates
 Links
 Groups
 Events
 Pictures
Status Updates
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Facebook status message, what are some
things we should remember?
Slide 22 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
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Do not whine
Try to be funny
Do not boast. Instead, laugh at yourself
Do not go with the trend
Be original and unique
Reciting what other famous people said
will bore the other not-so-famous people;
i.e., your friends.
Avoid, as much as possible, the use of big
English words unless you are trying to be
funny
Keep it short
Do not be too frequent
Timing
And at last, REPLY
6. Complete AT2.4 having students create
three ag-related Facebook status updates.
7. Pass students’ AT2.4 sheets to another
student to have them critique their status
updates. These students will complete the
two boxes, + and – for each status update.
8. Return AT2.4 to owners for final review
and edits.
9. Have each student share one or two of their
status updates.
10. Let’s discuss the other ways we can use
Facebook to advocate for agriculture.
Other Ways to Use Facebook
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Slide 23 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
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Share links: videos, news articles,
studies, blogs, photos of ag related
items.
Get information: Watch groups and fan
pages for what is going on in the
industry.
Inspiration: Connect with others who
are passionate about ag and lean on
each other when you need motivation
or a reminder to keep spreading the
word.
Share your own photos: Include
personal captions with photos, identify
what is being done, the process for how
something works, etc.
11. Let’s dive in more closely to another way
to advocate for agriculture – letters to the
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editor. Why might it be important for us in
our quest to advocate for agriculture to
know how to write a letter or e-mail to an
editor?
12. Share sample letter to the editor on AT2.5.
Read through letter as a class and then
discuss the important pieces of the letter.
13. Share recommendations for submitting a
letter to the editor.
Slide 24 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Submitting a Letter to the Editor
1. Word count. Most newspapers want less
than 150 words.
2. Customize your letter for each paper.
Newspapers are more likely to run
authentic letters.
3. Contact the paper to ask how they
prefer to receive your letter. Most prefer
e-mail if available. Call to ask!
4. Include your full name, farm or ranch
name (if applicable), mailing address,
and phone number. The newspaper might
call to verify you wrote the letter. Your
contact info will not be printed.
14. Practice composing a letter to the editor
using AT2.6.
15. Pair-share students’ letters and then hand in
for teacher revisions/comments.
16. Finally, when it comes to advocating for
agriculture, we have to be able to talk to
someone face-to-face.
17. Facilitate a discussion on face-to-face
conversations using questions like:
Have you ever had a tough
conversation while talking to someone
you just do not agree with? What are
lessons you have learned from having
these conversations? Do you have
advice you always try to follow when
having a controversial conversation?
18. Here are some tips in having a face-toface conversation.
Slide 25 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Face-To-Face Tips to Follow
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Listen first…then talk (80/20 rule) –
Ask probing questions: Why do you
feel that way? Where did you hear that?
– Find out as much as you can about
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them – Where did they grow up? How
far removed from the farm? Do they
have kids, pets, etc.?
Connect: Find common ground/shared
values – What do they care about? –
What questions do they have about
their food? – Recognize and respect
differences – Do not get personal or
argumentative – Remember that others
may be listening!
Share: Acknowledge their viewpoint
and ask if they would be open to
hearing yours – Share your personal
story
19. Have students role play in pairs, with one
being an advocate for agriculture and one
opposed to an agriculture-related issue.
Examples might include individual does
not eat red meat, individual only eats
organic foods, individual does not believe
farmers should be using chemicals on row
crops, etc.
20. Allow students to practice role play in pairs
before sharing with entire class or
videotaping for class and teacher to
examine.
Review/Summary
Slide 26 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Government has become involved in agriculture for a variety of reasons, and its policies have a
great impact on the agriculture industry. Price controls instituted by the government in response
to a need to stabilize the U.S. economy or to control food prices are a very important type of
government intervention. Government agencies are available to agriculturalists to provide
valuable services to them and their businesses. As we as agriculturalists continually face issues
in agriculture, it is important for us to be proactive in advocating for our industry. Everyone
needs to do their part and not expect others to do it for them.
Review:
Action!: Using the tools obtained in this lesson, have students (in small groups or
triads) brainstorm ways to get all local FFA members to serve as advocates for
agriculture. Prepare a plan on AT2.6, identifying three current issues facing the local
community, resources available to students to be knowledgeable about those issues, and
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identifying ten ways members can actively advocate for the issue.
Slide 27 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
Exit cards: Students will answer the following questions on a note card or small slip of paper and
hand to teacher as they exit:
 What did you learn today about influences in agribusiness?
 What questions do you still have about influences in agribusiness?
Application
Extended Activities
Answer the question, “Who are the voices of agriculture in our community?” Have
students research the head of county conservation, extension agents, mayor, city council,
direct or local govenrment agencies, etc.
Invite a local representative from the FSA office to discuss state and federal programs the
government administers that directly affect local agricultural businesses. Discuss how
these programs then ultimately affect local, state, and national agriculture.
Arrange for a representative from two or three government agencies to visit the
class and spend about thirty minutes explaining the programs they have available
for young agriculturalists. Following the presentation, have students conduct
Internet research on these programs.
Hold an Agricultural Advocacy Day for local, area, and/or district FFA chapters to practice
ways of being advocates for the industry. Invite local representatives in to discuss
advocating for agriculture; have members participate in activities such as developing an
agricultural promotional campaign, writing sample letters to the editor, writing letters to
legislators, researching current state and federal agricultural bills, etc.; invite local
legislators to discuss effective ways for constituents to be active in government and serve
as advocates in their realm.
Implement an agricultural advocacy program in the local FFA chapter. Set a minimum
goal for each member to spend each month advocating for agriculture. Have them provide
examples of their advocacy to FFA officers. FFA officers and the advisor will select two
or three members each month to showcase their advocacy efforts during the monthly FFA
meeting, FFA newsletter, or some kind of public arena for others to view.
Evaluation
Agricultural Issues Portfolio AT2.7
Slide 28-30 in AT2 Influences in Agribusiness
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Alternate - Paper-pencil Quiz Evaluation AT2.8
Answers to Evaluation
Evaluation AT2.7
Answers will vary. Use scoring guide on AT2.7 to assess student work.
Alternate Evaluation AT2.8
1. C
2. D
3. B
4. Answers will vary, but may include three of the following: Soil and Water Conservation
District, Natural Resource District, USDA Rural Development, County and State
Extension, Missouri Agriculture and Small Business Development Authority, Industry
Check Off Programs
5. A person who serves as a supporter or defendant of a person or specific cause
6. Answers will vary, but may include five of the following: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
videos, blogs, radio, TV, newspapers, letter to the editor, speak to organizations, host an
event, ag in the classroom, hand out materials on campus, signs on campus, in class,
commenting on online stories, legislative visits, letters to legislators
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