Everybody’s gotta eat. Thus, getting something to eat is a pretty important pasttime for all of humanity. The better we are at it, the more time we have for trying to see naked…quarks. So it’s fitting to pay a morsel of attention to a list produced by Texas A&M University of the key agricultural events during the last 50 years. In reverse top-ten order, David Letterman style, they are: 10. Integration of the poultry industry; 9. The adoption of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer; 8. no-till farming; 7. The use of antibiotics for livestock and poultry; 6. The 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s book, “Silent Spring”; 5. The agricultural debt crisis of the 1980s; 4. Norman Borlaug’s “Green Revolution” ; 3. The discovery of DNA; 2. Genetically modified crops.

And the number one key agricultural event in the past 50 years has been hybridization and other improvements of crops. Take a moment to think about this list next time you’re standing in a fast food line.