This essay is a merit winner in the 2023 Ag Day Essay Contest.  Visit www.agday.org for more details on National Ag Day.

Sophie Griswold: Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Growing a Climate for Tomorrow: How American Agriculture Does It Every Day

As the daughter of a country boy and a city girl, I’ve grown up to become a bridge between rural and urban communities. I feel it is my purpose to educate people on both sides of my heritage, so our country can become more united and work together to grow a climate for tomorrow. Our future depends on the dedication and skills of farmers.

Even though only 10% of greenhouse gas emissions are produced by American agriculture (Sustainability), some people blame farmers for rising carbon emissions and global temperatures. The public does not recognize farmers’ conservation efforts and ongoing commitment to improving their environmental practices. Members of the American agricultural community work hard to safeguard the climate for future generations.

Farmers have implemented sustainable practices, like nutrient management plans and renewable energy production, for decades. All farms, including the farm where I house my cows, have effective and safe plans to manage their manure. For example, a growing number of dairy farms have a methane or biogas digester that generates a climate-saving renewable energy source. Plus, the rise of biofuels has allowed farmers to fight climate change. Currently, over 3 trillion pounds of corn have been converted to ethanol, a renewable resource that can fuel American vehicles and machinery (Sustainability).

Along with our environmental efforts, the agricultural community uses technology to help combat climate change. Since 2018, farmers have added enough geothermal and solar panels, windmills, hydro systems, and methane digesters to produce 132% more renewable energy. These technological advancements have improved the environment, increased food production, and improved land efficiency. Now farmers use less water and fewer pesticides to grow nutritious food for consumers while conserving over 100 million acres of land (Sustainability).

The public expects affordable, sustainability-produced food that improves buyer health. Each day hard-working farmers meet these demands of consumers with dedication and a positive attitude. Because of U.S. farmers’ productivity that yields more food at lower costs than most countries (Staff), Americans spend half as much of their income on food compared to citizens of other nations (Cheng). Farmers work diligently to honor the land, water, and air around them while mastering complex agricultural processes, like food production and animal management.

I am proud to be part of the American agricultural community for so many reasons. Every day I have delicious farm-grown food on my plate, a safe place to house my cows, and the knowledge that farmers are working to improve our environment. As I continue to bridge the gap that divides urban and rural communities, I encourage everyone to thank a farmer. Without our American agricultural community, we’d have no food and less hope for a bright environmental future.

 

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.

2023 National Ag Day Essay Contest Winners Announced

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) has announced the 2023 National Ag Day video and written essay winners.  The winners were chosen based on the theme:  Growing a Climate for Tomorrow: How American Agriculture Does It Every Day.  Entrants chose to either write an essay or create a video.  

The national written essay winner, Timothy Hill of Orlando, Florida, receives a $1,000 prize and will read his winning essay at the virtual Ag Day event on March 21, 2023. The contest also named three merit winners who receive $100 and blog posts featuring their essays. They are Sophie Griswold of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; Libby Ramge of Marysville, Ohio; and Elsha Valluru of Highland Village, Texas.  This year’s video essay winner, Olivia Lee of Aliso Viejo, California, wins a $1,000 prize.  The winning entries can be viewed online at https://www.agday.org/2023-contest-winners.

The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., National Association of Farm Broadcasting, Farm Progress and Successful Farming.

Celebrating 50 years, National Ag Day encourages every American to understand how food and fiber products are produced; appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products; value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy and acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, and fiber industry.

Learn more and register for events at agday.org.

A Golden Opportunity to Say Thanks

Karen Jones, GROWMARK Youth and Young Producer Specialist 

The year was 1973. The Sears Tower in Chicago was completed as the world’s tallest building. “The Godfather” won Best Picture, “The Young and the Restless” debuted on television, and Secretariat won the Triple Crown, becoming one of only 13 horses in history to achieve that honor.

In the half century since, much has changed. The Sears Tower is no longer the world’s tallest building, and it’s now called the Willis Tower. Other horses have won the Triple Crown, other movies have won Best Picture – but “The Young and the Restless” is still cranking out new shows on CBS.

Of greater importance to me, in 1973, my dad was a junior in high school, already farming corn and soybeans with my grandpa and raising hogs. Much has changed for him as well, but not his life’s work. As the senior generation now on our family farm, he still wakes up every day with a purpose and a passion for producing food, feed, and fuel for America and beyond.

Those of us who work in agriculture understand that what we have is not only a profession, but truly a lifestyle. The old advice to “choose a job you love and you never have to work a day in your life” could have been written about our industry, because the long hours, dirty jobs, uncertain finances, and reliance on so many things out of our control probably seem foolish to the 90% of Americans who don’t farm or work to support the industry – but for us, we couldn’t imagine any other life.

1973 also saw the first celebration of National Ag Day, an opportunity to help bring the importance of agriculture forward to millions who may not realize where their groceries and clothing actually come from. The opportunity to educate and share agriculture’s message on the national stage for 50 years has no doubt influenced generations past, present, and future.

The theme “Growing a Climate for Tomorrow” couldn’t be more fitting as change continues to move our industry forward. Technology not even invented in 1973 is now standard use, and companies are continuing to innovate to make farming more productive and profitable, to sustain a growing world population. For example, GROWMARK, the company I work for, has created a partnership called Cooperative Ventures to vet start-ups in the ag space, and we’ve already funded several exciting businesses that have great potential.

As we celebrate the golden anniversary of National Ag Day, I hope we each take the golden opportunity to say thank you to the famers who are hands-on with their crops and livestock, those who work in the ag industry to support them, and to the dreamers who will continue to push agriculture forward in the years to come.

2023 National Ag Day
Agriculture Council of America Announces 2023 National Ag Day Date & Theme

Leawood, KS – The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host National Agriculture Day on March 21, 2023. This will mark the 50^th anniversary of National Ag Day which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day 2023 is “Growing a Climate for Tomorrow.”

On March 21, 2023, the ACA will host a virtual Ag Day event and events in Washington, DC.  Additionally, the ACA will bring college students to Washington “virtually” to deliver the message of Ag Day to the Hill.  A core leadership team of college students will attend events in DC.   Other Ag Day events in DC will be announce soon.

These events honor National Agriculture Day and mark a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. Many agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate.

 National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America. The ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society.

The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

• Understand how food and fiber products are produced
• Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products
• Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry
• Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy

In addition to the events on March 21, the ACA will once again feature the Ag Day Essay Contest. The winning essay will be presented on National Ag Day.

Sponsorship opportunities for Ag Day 2023 are available.  Visit www.agday.org for more information on National Ag Day.

 

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Establishing Common Ground and Leadership to Grow a Climate for Tomorrow

Brett Kaysen, Senior Vice President, Producer and State Engagement, National Pork Board and owner/operator of Kaysen Family Farms 

The word “polarizing” is reaching the point of over-use in our current culture. Politics, parenting, education, energy and more – every decision we make today has the potential to gain loud cheers from some and intense criticism from others. As someone who spent his whole life working on the farm or with farmers, I know debates on agriculture and food production often feel polarizing, too.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

On National Ag Day, farmers and others connected to agriculture are celebrating progress and identifying what we, as an industry, need to do to Grow a Climate for the Future. From my vantage point, the future of agriculture is bright. We can make it even brighter by finding common ground to avoid polarization of food discussions, and by developing leaders now who will take us into the next generation. We can leave a legacy of shared values, including continuous improvement, for our future agriculture industry.

As someone who speaks to U.S. pig farmers and others throughout the food supply chain daily, I know finding agreement about our food is possible. Take animal well-being, for example. Pig farmers and consumers alike believe pigs should be taken care of. We all want and need to breathe clean air. Everyone desires clean, fresh available water that is abundant. We need healthy soils to grow bountiful crops. And we all want to take care of our fellow human beings – no matter their background, education, or difference of opinions.

In the pork industry, we have progress to celebrate and innovation to demonstrate these shared values. Relative to animal well-being on the farm, we are better today in 2022 than we’ve ever been. Our pigs live in 70-degree controlled environments protected from the elements and illness while eating highly nutritious and balanced diets. Precision technology allows farmers to take pig manure – a highly renewable resource – and apply it to fields at the perfect time and rate to make soil as healthy and ready-to-yield as possible. It’s regenerative agriculture at its best.

Recently, we released our first U.S. Pork Industry Sustainability Report, which celebrates on-farm examples of progress and our goals to continue that progress. As an industry, we can elevate these examples to help create an accurate picture of agriculture for those removed from their food systems.

Next month, as we approach Earth Day, the segment of public opinion that says agriculture as bad for people, society and the environment will gain volume and momentum. We must not let this distract from what we know are our successes and opportunities. Instead, we need to demonstrate the leadership the next generation can build upon to confidently address questions while also continuing to find new ways to improve our industry.

I’m a Pork Checkoff employee, pig farmer and a dad. I have the awesome privilege raising pigs on our small-scale farm alongside my 11- and 13-year-old daughters, giving me a front-row seat to the potential the next generation of agriculture. In addition to learning how to give our animals the best care, they also are developing skills to answer hard questions about animal care and do it in a way that connects with consumers. As a result, I believe my girls will grow up to be great pig farmers, but more important, to provide great leadership for agriculture.

The more we engage with people – no matter their views on our industry – the better we can help them feel about what we do on the farm. This is how we diffuse polarizing views about our food, and instead of arguing, focus on a common vision for the future. One where we have cultivated a thriving climate for agriculture.

This blog post is made possible with funding from the Pork Checkoff.

Reaching Educators with Real Sugar Facts 

Using teaching tools to educate future generations and connect them to real sugar’s origin

For the 27,000 Family and Consumer Science (FCS) teachers across the U.S., the topic of sugar frequently comes up in class. Formerly known as home economics, family and consumer science class is a prime opportunity to educate the next generation of consumers about where real sugar comes from and the role it plays in a nutritious, balanced and enjoyable diet. Teachers should have access to accurate information about sugar to correct the misperceptions of their students, who are largely influenced by misinformation on social media.

Telling Real Sugar’s Story to the Next Generation

Students are becoming increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how to eat a balanced diet.  At the Sugar Association, we ensure our materials connect students to the agricultural roots of real sugar and give educators the tools to empower students to understand their diet and how a balanced lifestyle includes real sugar in moderation. 

All of our resources are grounded in science and equipped with references to support the facts. Providing educators, including those in FCS, homeschool programs, 4-H, extension programs and more, with free science-based educational materials that help tell real sugar’s story is one of our priorities at the Sugar Association. From coloring books to myth-busting fact sheets, offered in English and Spanish, our materials are being used across the country! 

Connecting with Educators

Participating in national and regional educator conferences and workshops provides the opportunity to meet with educators one-on-one to answer their questions, share our real sugar resources and identify additional needs. The audience at these conferences includes traditional educators, like FCS professionals, as well as those who teach in other settings. For example, the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) audience includes teachers as well as high-school aged leaders, public health professionals, 4-H leaders, and extension professionals who teach adult courses.

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