By Beverly Flores, North American Media Relations and Communications, John Deere
Agriculture – its’s behind all of our food and much of our
clothing, shelter and fuel. And yet, when we talk about any of those we don’t
often think about agriculture or all the people involved in producing these
daily necessities. National Ag Day is an opportunity to encourage that dialogue
and bring together an industry and serve as advocates.
We need storytellers in agriculture—to share our enthusiasm,
our energy and our passion for what we do and how we do it. We need to share
our stories proactively. We need to take the time and effort to help off-farm
consumers connect with our on-farm stories
As a mom of three boys, in my house we often talk about
agriculture. We talk about the passion and dedication, the commitment. In fact,
a portion of our spring break was spent helping feed cows and checking
calves—what a great trip! But, for the
vast majority of consumers they don’t get that same opportunity. They won’t get
to see the rancher counting the cows as he throws out the hay- the care and the
knowledge behind his actions. They won’t see his lifelong commitment to
something bigger than himself. They will, however, see the food and clothing.
My hope is that we commit to telling just one story more tomorrow than we do
today. I encourage you to find your story; to remember when someone asks about
their food, they are really asking, “Where did my food come from?” Take your
time, paint a picture of enthusiasm, energy and passion for agriculture.
