This essay is a merit winner in the 2023 Ag Day Essay Contest. Visit www.agday.org for more details on National Ag Day.
Libby Ramge
Marysville, Ohio
Growing a Climate for Tomorrow: How American Agriculture Does It Every Day
Our lives depend on the success of our harvests. Every
living thing in this world depends on the fuel our industry is creating for
them. Agriculturalists are among the nation's most caring stewards of the
environment while being faced with the monstrous task of feeding the world.
Over the past century, the average surface temperature has increased by almost
2°F (Effects of Global, n.d.). Temperatures aren't the only thing suffering
from climate change. There is a projected increase in precipitation intensity,
projected decrease in soil moisture, projected increase in dry spells and hot
days. As you can imagine, these effects impede agriculture’s ability to
efficiently feed the world. The climate is changing faster than the farmers,
plants, and animals can adapt to it. So, as agriculturalists, every day we
focus on how to be better towards the environment.
Our FFA Chapter toured MVP Dairy on the way to the National
Convention. They’re a dairy farm valuing their cow’s welfare and sustainable
practices. I was exploring their website and found MVP spends time evaluating
their farm and creates yearly EcoReports to measure their carbon footprint.
This farm is almost break-even with its emission inputs and outputs and will be
there within a few years (MVP Dairy, Regenerative farming). The operators of
this farm have focused attention on being carbon positive because of the
passion and importance they have found in this topic. MVP is not the only farm
looking to the future. Farmers all across the world are investing in
efficiency. And with education and resources provided by governmental agencies,
more farmers are moving towards sustainable practices.
You see agriculturalists all the time managing biodiversity,
reducing erosion, building soil quality, protecting water sources, and storing
carbon. And farmers aren't the only agriculturalists. There are engineers,
finding ways to design sustainable equipment. There are teachers, who are
teaching future generations about how they can help. And there are professional
agriculturalists, who know the ins and outs of either agronomy, soil, or
conservation planning. Agriculturalists also include anyone who is advocating
for agriculture and a sustainable future.
Agriculturalists are among some of the proudest
environmental stewards. We want a world that can sustain future generations,
and it is our job to make that possible. With a sustainable environment, we can
continue feeding the world, caring for the land, and educating consumers.
