Informative speeches allow speakers to present arguments either for or against an issue and back their position with facts and figures. You can add personal insights or storytelling elements for added impact in these presentations.
At the General Agriculture Prepared Public Speaking Leadership Development Event for eighth, ninth or tenth-graders in General Agriculture, competitors must select a topic, compose a manuscript and deliver an eight- to nine-minute speech.
Humane Animal Treatment
Agriculture is an expansive field that impacts our daily lives in various ways, while being contentious at times. That makes agriculture an excellent topic for an ag speech as you can take sides and back your argument up with facts and research to support either side.
One popular topic of discussion at agricultural speech events is how animals are treated at farms that breed livestock for food production, including animal testing or the practice of euthanizing them. You could argue whether such practices are humane or not, using statistics, research and facts to support your claim.
Topics for an agriculture speech might also include the rise in agricultural productivity and renewable energy sources like biodiesel, ethanol fuels and earthfriendly sources of biomass energy such as compost. Other topics might include using technology in farming and drought effects on farmland – you could also take this chance to educate audiences on different animal species that live around us all!
Pesticides
Agriculture provides many potential topics to choose from when writing a speech on it, depending on whether your aim is persuasion or education of people about this vast field.
Choose a topic that demonstrates how pesticides help keep plants and animals healthy, such as how pesticides kill unwanted insects, rodents, weeds and plants; modify plant growth (regulators); prematurely shed leaves (defoliants); destroy bacteria or viruses or kill off parasites like lice or mosquitos.
Researchers may also research agricultural policies important in today’s society. At an Extemporaneous Public Speaking Leadership Development Event (LDE), participants demonstrate their public speaking abilities by researching a topic to defend during a three-minute speech, with the winner moving on to represent their state at the National FFA Convention later in the fall. This event requires participants to think quickly while creating complex arguments with limited preparation time.
Organic Farming
Agriculture has become a complex field that affects us all in myriad ways, making agriculture one of the key aspects of everyday life. Therefore, it is vitally important that we take time and research various agricultural topics so as to fully grasp this subject area. Examples of intriguing ag speech topics could include genetic modification, definitions of agricultural jargons, seed patents and organic farming.
Chemical-free farming has become more and more popular, and many stores now carry organic products. Unfortunately, however, organic farmers still face many issues related to competition with nonorganic farmers, lack of government regulation, and ever-evolving organic standards.
An organic farming speech can illuminate both its advantages and drawbacks, including how organic farms help mitigate pollution by using only natural, non-chemical pesticides and fertilizers such as composted manure or green manure to build soil fertility.
Food Safety
Your audience of home gardeners may be particularly intrigued to learn about the various methods of food safety employed on farms, from traditional pesticides to alternative natural solutions for keeping away insects, and ways to prevent the spread of foodborne illnesses.
An agricultural topic sure to grab people’s interest is animal treatment on farms breeding animals for human consumption. You can take either a pro- or con- position regarding how these animals are treated while supporting your argument with facts and figures.
Prepared Public Speaking Leadership Development Event (LDE) allows students to write and deliver an eight-minute speech on any current agriculture-related topic of their choosing. Their speech is evaluated by a panel of judges evaluating content, composition and delivery of speech; participants who excel can advance to nationals competition. This event takes place at state levels.