By Emmy Powell

Football, food and commercials. Those are the three things I think of when it’s the biggest football game of the year.

Many fans are cheering for their favorite team, but I’m rooting for agriculture.

Without agriculture, the big game just simply wouldn’t be what it is. Can you imagine the ultimate championship football game without chicken wings, peanuts and pigskins? The list can go on and on.

Agriculture may not get much recognition, but it’s the MVP if you ask me.  

Why is agriculture so vital to the game?

Most importantly, footballs. They’re made from leather. And Texas is the leader of cattle in the nation with over 12 million head.

You can’t forget peanuts. It’s a classic snack! The state grows millions of pounds each year so we can snack when watching the game.

Another important piece is the land. From one end zone to the other, a football field is about 1.3 acers. With 127 million acres of farmland, the Lone Star State can make up about 100 million football fields.

My favorite Super Bowl meal is chicken wings. About 1.45 billion wings are expected to be consumed this weekend. Texas grows more than 100 million chickens each year. That’s a lot of wings!

And once the game is over, fans will need championship t-shirts—made from cotton, of course. And Texas is the leader in cotton production. That means you can count on Texas agriculture for the cotton in your Super Bowl LVII championship shirts!

So, while you are watching the game or, if you’re like me, laughing at the commercials, keep an eye out for agriculture.