Straight From the Farmer--Technology is Key to Bright Agriculture Future

Less than two percent of America’s population is actively engaged in farming. Yet, the agriculture industry is the most productive in history. In fact, each U.S. farmer produces enough food to nourish more than 150 people.

Today’s farmers are engaged in agriculture because they want to be. And if you ask Brent Johnson, a 36-year-old farmer from Manson, Iowa, there’s no more exciting place to be today than on the farm.

A fourth generation farm family, Brent and LuAnn Johnson operate Labre Acres, which includes 900 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa, and a small cow-calf beef operation. They also operate Labre Crop Consulting, which works with farmers across Iowa to incorporate precision farming technology into their operations for more detailed record-keeping and production efficiencies.


“When my grandfather switched from horses to tractors in 1956, I would imagine he thought agriculture production could never get any better than that,” Brent says. “And today, I feel the same way. With satellite technology, auto-steering, biotechnology, and variable rate application capabilities, I can't even imagine what’s coming that will make things even better than they are today. “

In preparation for coming back to the farm, Brent earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Iowa State University. After graduation, he spent nearly 10 years working in corn research and production in the seed and crop protection industries before moving back to the farm.

As an agronomist, Brent has a keen understanding of the importance of caring for the land, as well as the proper care and feeding of plants once they have been planted in the soil.

In fact, Brent believes that farmers were at the forefront of the green movement before “going green” was even considered cool.

“We live on the land. It is part of our lifestyle. Farmers have done more to protect and conserve the land by developing terraces and waterways than any other segment of the U.S. population. And people just don’t understand that,” Brent says. “We work hard to employ the best technology and management practices we can to ensure that we can be successful with proper placement and reduced applications of fertilizer and pesticides.”

Brent also says he is concerned that so few people have a realistic understanding of agriculture and farmers. “This is not a fairytale existence – agriculture is a business. I’m worried that we have people trying to decide the future of agriculture who do not understand or respect how far this industry has come since the 1950s. We cannot be as efficient without modern technology. Without it, the industry moves backwards. And that way of thinking won’t feed the world.”

Brent believes the way to increase the understanding between farmer and consumer is through education and communication. That’s why he and LuAnn are in Washington, DC, during National Agriculture Week visiting with members of Congress about agriculture’s promise and the hope modern technology can bring to the global food system.

Brent and LuAnn are participating in National Ag Day Festivities today on Capital Hill and at the USDA, as representatives of John Deere’s Outstanding Young Farmers of America group.

“We’re here on behalf of many young farm families around the country,” Brent says. “We are honored to represent these farmers and will do our best to make sure their voices are heard in the discussions about the promise modern agriculture holds in feeding the world.”

Youth Key to Keeping Rural America Vibrant

More than anywhere else in the country, rural America provides tremendous opportunities for youth to make a difference. That's what U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told more than 150 students and agriculture professionals gathered at the USDA this morning to kick-off AgDay celebrations in the nation's capitol.


In his remarks, Secretary Vilsack noted that despite their extraordinary efforts through history and today, American farmers and ranchers receive little credit, like an Oscar or Olympic gold medal, for their efforts in producing the world's food supply. In noting these efforts, Vilsack noted that in 1950, the average farmer fed only 20 people. Today, each American farmer and rancher feeds more than 150 people, and they have assumed much greater responsibility for generating food for the world while often having to rely on off-farm income to survive economically on the farm.

To protect the viability of the 21st Century farm, Vilsack says the USDA must expand its focus to address more of the struggles faced in rural America. Some of the areas of focus include:

• Continued expansion of agricultural exports and domestic use of agricultural products -- he noted that tremendous opportunities exist in the country's ability to convert agricultural products into energy, for example.
• Increased connections and understanding between farmers, consumers and the food they eat. He noted the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" program as one example of how the USDA was hoping to connect consumers to farmers, and bolster rural economies.
• Promoting hunting and fishing on conservation acres in rural communities. Vilsack noted that when hunting and fishing enthusiasts visit rural areas, they provide an economic boost to rural communities.
• Continued exploration of ecosystem markets to address the world's changing climate.

Consider a Career in Agriculture - - The Choices are Amazing!

By Kent Schescke, FFA Foundation

While farming is possibly the oldest and most well-known agricultural career, more than 300 career opportunities exist in today’s agriculture, food and natural resources sector. Those jobs can be organized in the following categories:

Food Products and Processing Systems
Plant Systems
Natural Resource Systems
Animal Systems
Environmental Service Systems
Agribusiness Systems
Biotechnology Systems

More than 7,400 middle and high school agricultural education programs and FFA chapters exist in schools and communities across the United States to help young people explore, discover and prepare for agricultural career opportunities. What follows are some fast facts about agricultural education today:

Education of students in urban, suburban and rural areas
34% from urban and suburban areas
39% from rural, non-farm areas
27% from rural farm areas
16 of 20 largest U.S. cities have FFA chapters
Changing demographics of membership
39% female (hold 50% state leadership positions)
85% Caucasian, 11% Latino, 4% African-American

The agricultural education community is focused on growth and quality as the future of agricultural education. In fact, our goal is to accelerate GROWTH in education by providing greater access to Ag Ed and FFA by exponentially growing the number of programs in communities not yet served by Ag Ed and FFA, thus assisting students to prepare for opportunities in agriculture, food and natural resources industries.

By strengthening the QUALITY of personal, academic and career education programs in agriculture, we will raise the bar on student achievement in existing Ag Ed and FFA programs.

Accomplishing these goals will require lots of motivated new agricultural education instructors and teachers. Do you have a knack for working with young people? If so, we encourage you to consider Agricultural Education as a major and work toward a career an agricultural education instructor.

It's Important to Know About Agriculture

Here are just some of the key reasons why it's important to recognize - and celebrate - Ag Day each year:

• Everyone has to eat! Increased knowledge of agriculture and nutrition allows individuals to make informed personal choices about diet and health.
• Informed citizens make informed policies. Informed policy-making will support a competitive agricultural industry in this country and abroad.
• A strong ag economy generates jobs! Employment opportunities exist across the board in agriculture. Career choices include:
  - farm production
  - agribusiness management and marketing
  - agricultural research and engineering
  - food science and technology
  - food processing and retailing
  - banking and finance
  - education
  - landscape architecture and forestry
  - biofuels and biotechnology
• Because agriculture touches each person on the planet, a general understanding for its practices is necessary and beneficial for everyone to know -- not just for the people who produce the world's food supply. We like to call this understanding agricultural literacy, which includes knowledge of agriculture’s history as well as how current economic, social and environmental issues affect all Americans.

How Do We Weather This Perfect Storm?

As Haiti continues to struggle with its recovery from a recent devastating earthquake, the country now faces the real danger of missing its major spring agricultural growing season if farmers are unable to secure the necessary seeds, fertilizers, equipment and resources needed for planting. In addition, the United Nations reports that Haitian farmers also are in dire need of livestock feed and animal vaccines.


While Haiti relies on international aid for about 50 percent of its food supply, its agricultural industry is considered vital to the health and welfare of its people. If farmers miss the crucial spring planting season, the country will become completely dependent on international food aid to feed its devastated county.


According to a recent report by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)* approximately one billion people in poor countries today don’t receive enough dietary energy, and another one billion don’t get enough protein, fat, important minerals and vitamins. Growing global food insecurity is just one of many factors that that folks at CAST believe are converging to create a “perfect storm” in global food and agriculture.

It is imperative that we look to the best and brightest minds in agriculture to put science and technology to work in fueling the development of new innovations and solutions to global food insecurity while protecting and conserving our world’s rich natural resources. As citizens, it’s our job to fund and support research and development to feed disadvantaged populations. Their productivity, livelihoods, and, most importantly, their lives, depend on it.


*Full disclosure: John Bonner, executive director and CEO of CAST, is a board member of Agriculture Council of America.

Opportunities Abound for Agriculture

Contributed by Barry Nelson, Manager, Media Relations, John Deere

I just celebrated my 30th year with John Deere and it has been a challenging and rewarding career with a great company. I started in 1980, just before difficult times hit agriculture and I spent my first few years in the field assisting dealers and farmer customers. We came out of the '80s stronger than ever and U.S. agriculture continues to thrive even during the current recession. I firmly believe the farming culture and values of hard work, integrity and personal responsibility are major reasons for success in agriculture, even in this uncertain economy. Farmers are planting, growing, harvesting, and producing food for the world. There is no doubt they are critically important to America’s economic strength and resilience.

I also am extremely positive about the future of agriculture and know that we have many challenges in providing the essential food, fiber, and fuel to a growing world population. Currently, the global population surpasses 6 billion. By 2050, the population is expected to grow to 9 billion people! Our challenge will be to feed this growing population while becoming more efficient with land, water, inputs and all the resources necessary to produce food. We have the resources, the technology, and the know-how to get this done -- better than anyone else in the world!

In addition, there are larger global issues of food sustainability, hunger, and human suffering that impact us all. We, in agriculture, must not only produce high-quality food, but we must also assist third-world countries in developing their sustainable agricultural systems. The recent devastation in Haiti and the recurring drought, instability and hunger issues in Africa are perfect examples of this. Here are a couple of quotes from leaders in our industry.

DuPont's Chair and CEO Ellen Kullman states, "Agriculture is a game-changer that can mitigate multiple global issues - hunger, poverty, environmental degradation, poor nutrition and subsequent effects such as civil unrest."

And, David Everitt, President, Deere & Company , says, "Ignoring this looming (food) productivity challenge or not acting quickly enough has perilous risks that should not be underestimated. At its most basic, it means additional human suffering through hunger and malnutrition. Beyond that, it means widespread social turmoil and unrest that undermine the political stability of large parts of the world – not to mention eroding our own national security."

Now this is quite a challenge and, quite frankly, an urgent call to action for all of us. As a member of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) and a board member for the Agricultural Council of America (ACA), I have had the tremendous opportunity to meet some of the best communicators and marketers in the agricultural business. As an industry, we should leverage this talent and work together to deliver a clear, focused message about the importance of agriculture. This is even more critical today when there are more challenges from government, rising input costs, limited resources, and volatile commodity prices.

The ACA will host the annual Ag Day event in Washington D.C. on March 18th and will meet to celebrate and promote the importance of agriculture to leaders and influencers in D.C. We believe the public has the opportunity:

• Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products

• Understand how food and fiber products are produced

• Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy

• Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry

Please join us in Washington D.C. to promote this important message or participate locally by having an Ag Day event. There are many promotional ideas and media tools on the Ag Day Web site. Let's circle the wagons and put our expertise together in promoting the importance of agriculture. Our future and our children's future depend on keeping this industry strong and vibrant!

Some Background on National Ag Day

Each year, since 1973, National Ag Day is celebrated on the first day of Spring with the purpose of providing special recognition of the food and fiber industry’s contributions to America. This special tribute builds unity in the food and agricultural communities. It also educates the non-farm public about the industry.

The National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) and the American National CattleWomen (ANCW) were responsible for planning the first National Agriculture Day in 1973.

Since 1979, The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) has coordinated the National Agriculture Day celebration in Washington, D.C. With the help of countless individuals, companies and organizations throughout the country, ACA provides the resources and information for local events that coincide with the Washington festivities annually.

And America's farm families are amazing. And because so many people today have no connection to agriculture, they don't have the opportunity to realize just how amazing the depth and breadth of our food supply really is.

For instance, many believe family farmers no longer dominate farming.

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), 98 percent of American farms are still family-owned, family partnerships or family-owned corporations.

Interested in testing your Agriculture IQ?

Take the AFBF's short quiz to see how your knowledge of agriculture stacks up.