In celebration of the 40th anniversary of National Ag Day, other groups hosted events in Washington, D.C. to coincide with the ACA's events.
On Monday, March 18, Agri-Pulse hosted a panel discussion at the Hart Senate Office Building on Farm to Fork Politics. This was an insiders look at the year ahead for food and agriculture. The panel was moderated by Sara Wyant, Agri-Pulse, and panel members included J.B. Penn, Chief Economist, John Deere; Dr. Keith Collins, former
Chief Economist, USDA; and B. Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President of
the Research and Information Services Division, National Restaurant
Association. A reception immediately followed the discussion.
On Tuesday, March 19, the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA)
held the Food Dialogues, an educational session which was moderated by Chris Galen, Sr. VP
of Communications for the National Milk Producers Federation. Galen said Ag Day provided a great opportunity to speak with Capitol Hill staffers
and legislators about the latest research on how farmers need to
communicate with consumers. Katie Pratt, USFRA Face of Farming and Ranching,
shared her farm story and talked about the importance of farmers and
ranchers to share their personal stories. Also speaking at the event was Erika Bowser-Poppelreiter, a Midwest farmer and farming/ranching expert
with Ketchum. She presented the briefing, focusing on consumer
messaging research and how the agriculture industry can work to restore
relevance.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Students Bring Ag Day to Capitol Hill
Over 100 students from 4-H, AFA, FFA and Student NAMA were chosen to share in the message of agriculture and its
importance during Ag Day Celebration 2013. Students stayed at the
National 4-H Visitors Center and visited Capitol Hill to meet directly
with legislators and advisors from their home state.
Sunday, March 17, kicked-off with a welcome for the students and an idea exchange where they reported on agriculture issues affecting their home states and specific commodities that are important to them
On Monday, March 18, students participated in a training session on the Importance of Active Engagement, to get them ready for their visits on the Hill. In addition, they listened to a panel discuss creating a positive image for agriculture. They also took a guided tour of Washington, D.C.
Sunday, March 17, kicked-off with a welcome for the students and an idea exchange where they reported on agriculture issues affecting their home states and specific commodities that are important to them
On Monday, March 18, students participated in a training session on the Importance of Active Engagement, to get them ready for their visits on the Hill. In addition, they listened to a panel discuss creating a positive image for agriculture. They also took a guided tour of Washington, D.C.
Ag Day Mix-and-Mingle Luncheon
Approximately 300 people attended the Ag Day Mix-and-Mingle Luncheon at
the Canon Caucus Room on March 19. Attendees listened to
Congressman Frank Lucas speak on the importance of American
agriculture along with Troy and Bobbie Uglem, North Dakota, the 2012 Outstanding
Young Farmer honorees. Also speaking at the luncheon was Dave Schmidt, Alliance to Feed the Future.
The Outstanding Young Farmer program began in the 1940s. The first Outstanding Young Farmer National Congress, held under the sponsorship of John Deere, in 1977, in Bismarck, ND.
From the registrations received each year, the top 25 candidates are reviewed by judges and from that group the top ten are chosen for an expense paid trip to the OYF Awards Congress each year. These top 10 automatically become members of the OFA Fraternity. From the top ten – 4 are chosen as National Outstanding Young Farmers. There are 1500 plus members in the OFA fraternity and several hundred of them return each year to attend the Congress and renew friendships from years passed. The OFA Fraternity are incorporated and elect officers who serve 2 year terms. The OFA is a very important part of the OYF Program and the majority of the membership remain successful and influential farmers.
John Deere has been the national sponsor of this program since 1977. Honorees for the Outstanding Young Farmers were: Andrew & Karlie Bowman, IL; Troy & Bobbie Uglem, ND; Joy & Duce Tallamy, NJ; Renee & Brian Schaal, WI.
The Outstanding Young Farmer program began in the 1940s. The first Outstanding Young Farmer National Congress, held under the sponsorship of John Deere, in 1977, in Bismarck, ND.
From the registrations received each year, the top 25 candidates are reviewed by judges and from that group the top ten are chosen for an expense paid trip to the OYF Awards Congress each year. These top 10 automatically become members of the OFA Fraternity. From the top ten – 4 are chosen as National Outstanding Young Farmers. There are 1500 plus members in the OFA fraternity and several hundred of them return each year to attend the Congress and renew friendships from years passed. The OFA Fraternity are incorporated and elect officers who serve 2 year terms. The OFA is a very important part of the OYF Program and the majority of the membership remain successful and influential farmers.
John Deere has been the national sponsor of this program since 1977. Honorees for the Outstanding Young Farmers were: Andrew & Karlie Bowman, IL; Troy & Bobbie Uglem, ND; Joy & Duce Tallamy, NJ; Renee & Brian Schaal, WI.
National Ag Day Dinner
About 170 people attended the Celebration of Agriculture Dinner at the USDA Whitten Building Patio on March 19, 2013.
Attendees were welcomed to the dinner by Orion Samuelson, WGN Radio. The dinner began with a reception for all attendees followed by remarks from the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. After his remarks, guests dined on a pork dinner courtesy of the National Pork Producers Council and created by Mark Salter, Chef at the Robert Morris Inn.
Also in attendance and recognized at the dinner were the 2012 Outstanding Young Farmer honorees which included: Brian & Renee Schaal from Wisconsin; Paul & Joy Tallamy from New Jersey; Andrew & Karlie Bowman from Illinois; and Troy & Bobbie Jo Uglem from North Dakota.
Also speaking at the dinner was 2011 Miss America, Teresa Scanlan. Scanlan recently partnered with The Great American Wheat Harvest film documentary project.
Honored at the dinner were the Ag Day Essay Contest video and written essay winners. The theme of this year's essay contest was "American Agriculture: Nourishing Opportunities." The video essay was written and produced by Lebo Molife, a sophomore from Naperville, Illinois.Following the video essay, Whitney Bowman, a senior from Mount Jackson, Virginia, read her essay.
The essay contest is sponsored by: CHS with support from The Council for Agricultural Science & Technology, High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, the National Association of Farm Broadcasting, the National Agri-Marketing Assn., McCormick Company, and Farm Progress.
To view the Ag Day Essay contest winners visit, http://www.agday.org/media/pr11.php.
Ag Day Photos
Check out all the photos from the 40th anniversary celebration of National Ag Day. Photos can be seen on Ag Day's Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/Agday.
You may also view photos on the AgWired Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimmcomm/sets/72157633029977918/. All photos on this page are courtesy of Chuck Zimmerman, ZimmComm New Media.
You may also view photos on the AgWired Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimmcomm/sets/72157633029977918/. All photos on this page are courtesy of Chuck Zimmerman, ZimmComm New Media.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Farm Credit and Ag Day Partners Work Together to Build the Next Generation of Ag Leaders
Submitted by Jennifer Armbruster, Farm Credit
To everyone who benefits from the unwavering commitment of America’s farmers and ranchers, I hope you had a happy Ag Day!
Both on and off the farm, agriculture is a bright spot in the U.S. employment market, with hiring trending upward in both urban and rural areas. According to the USDA, one in 12 American jobs is agriculture-related.
Farm Credit is proud to support industry leading organizations and individuals who are helping to create job growth while developing the next generation of leaders in agriculture.
Here are just a few examples:
To everyone who benefits from the unwavering commitment of America’s farmers and ranchers, I hope you had a happy Ag Day!
Both on and off the farm, agriculture is a bright spot in the U.S. employment market, with hiring trending upward in both urban and rural areas. According to the USDA, one in 12 American jobs is agriculture-related.
Farm Credit is proud to support industry leading organizations and individuals who are helping to create job growth while developing the next generation of leaders in agriculture.
Here are just a few examples:
- Farm Credit associations and banks across the nation contribute to FFA, both locally and nationally. In addition to sponsoring the annual convention, Farm Credit supports the New Century Farmer program and the National FFA Alumni Development Conference. Matt Neal, regional vice president at Farm Credit Mid-America, recently shared how FFA programs helped him overcome a speech impediment and motivated him to pursue a career in agriculture.
- Blake Stowers is thankful for the professional development he received during his involvement with Agriculture Future of America (AFA). AFA’s mission is to create partnerships that identify, encourage and support outstanding college men and women preparing for careers in the agriculture and food industry. After taking an internship with Farm Credit Mid-America, Stowers analyzed the company culture for an AFA project, "I knew that Farm Credit had what I wanted in a company culture,” said Stowers. “I wanted to be part of an organization that believed in developing future leaders and was as passionate about the future of agriculture as I am.”
- For more than 100 years, 4-H youth clubs have served rural and urban communities through the Cooperative Extension System, a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state Extension office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to agricultural producers, small-business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.
- The student chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) helps college students begin their careers in agribusiness through opportunities to network with industry professionals and develop marketing and communications skills. Upon graduation, members are encouraged to join regional NAMA Chapters and continue their professional development.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Why We're So Darn Passionate
Submitted by Holly Spangler, Farm Progress
As I write this, just after dawn on our Illinois farm, I can see my neighbor, pull the tractor and feed wagon into his field just across from ours. Black cows are plodding their way toward breakfast. It's a sharp winter day. The sun is beautiful on the prairie and warm on their backs. The cows are fat and happy and ready to start calving any day now.
And you can bet my neighbor's been up for a couple hours.
He's mixed the feed into just the right ration. He's procured the gluten from a nearby ethanol plant. (Byproducts: those things food vs. fuel activists don't like to acknowledge.) He’s mixed it all up just right.
The cows are anxious, watching for him.
He's pulling out now, stopping to climb off the tractor and shut the gate. With all the technology on the farm, including tractors that can drive themselves, gates still don't shut themselves.
I don't know what the rest of his day holds, but I can guess. More chores. More cattle to care for. Markets to watch. Maybe some work to do on cattle buildings. Maybe paperwork for EPA. And at the end of the day, more cattle to feed. And then maybe a meeting to attend.
It's no wonder "So God Made a Farmer" and the Dodge Ram ad resonated with so many of us. It’s who we are. And as criticism about it arose, it made me wonder: why are we so very passionate about what we do? Why do we defend it so fervently?
Indeed, activists accuse farmers of everything from poisoning the earth with chemicals, to raising hormone-laden beef and milk. And yet the truth is so far from the accusation.
Curious about the hormones? Take a look at this data from a Michigan State University study:
• 3 oz. steak from hormone-treated steer: 1.9 nanograms* estrogen
• 3 oz. steak from untreated steer: 1.3 ng
• Milk: 11 ng
• Potato: 225 ng
• Peas: 340 ng
• Ice cream: 520 ng
• Cabbage: 2,000 ng
• Wheat germ: 3,400 ng
• Soybean oil: 168,000 ng
*one nanogram = one-billionth of a gram
The idea of defending agriculture and telling its story is not a new one. It came long before the movement known as "agvocating.” Indeed, original "agvocates" like Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson have been telling urban audiences about ag for decades. But it's exciting to see a farmer get involved.
When Brian Scott tweets a photo from his Indiana farm shop and sparks a conversation with a consumer? That's good stuff. Same goes for Ray Prock and his blog about his dairy herd in California. Mike Haley tweets photos of cows in Ohio, and I've learned a whole lot about California almonds via Brent Boersma on Instagram. (We don't have almonds here in Illinois; lots of corn, beans, cattle and hogs. But no almonds.)
We can all learn a lot. And we can all tell a story. We have a consuming public that's eager to know just exactly what we're all doing out here.
And, in between feeding the cows and mixing the feed, we have a good story to tell.
It's morning on the farm. And it's a good one.
Holly is an associate editor for Prairie Farmer. From her Illinois farm, she covers agriculture for Farm Progress, and writes a column and blog that shares the perspective of a young farm family.
As I write this, just after dawn on our Illinois farm, I can see my neighbor, pull the tractor and feed wagon into his field just across from ours. Black cows are plodding their way toward breakfast. It's a sharp winter day. The sun is beautiful on the prairie and warm on their backs. The cows are fat and happy and ready to start calving any day now.
And you can bet my neighbor's been up for a couple hours.
He's mixed the feed into just the right ration. He's procured the gluten from a nearby ethanol plant. (Byproducts: those things food vs. fuel activists don't like to acknowledge.) He’s mixed it all up just right.
The cows are anxious, watching for him.
He's pulling out now, stopping to climb off the tractor and shut the gate. With all the technology on the farm, including tractors that can drive themselves, gates still don't shut themselves.
I don't know what the rest of his day holds, but I can guess. More chores. More cattle to care for. Markets to watch. Maybe some work to do on cattle buildings. Maybe paperwork for EPA. And at the end of the day, more cattle to feed. And then maybe a meeting to attend.
It's no wonder "So God Made a Farmer" and the Dodge Ram ad resonated with so many of us. It’s who we are. And as criticism about it arose, it made me wonder: why are we so very passionate about what we do? Why do we defend it so fervently?
Indeed, activists accuse farmers of everything from poisoning the earth with chemicals, to raising hormone-laden beef and milk. And yet the truth is so far from the accusation.
Curious about the hormones? Take a look at this data from a Michigan State University study:
• 3 oz. steak from hormone-treated steer: 1.9 nanograms* estrogen
• 3 oz. steak from untreated steer: 1.3 ng
• Milk: 11 ng
• Potato: 225 ng
• Peas: 340 ng
• Ice cream: 520 ng
• Cabbage: 2,000 ng
• Wheat germ: 3,400 ng
• Soybean oil: 168,000 ng
*one nanogram = one-billionth of a gram
The idea of defending agriculture and telling its story is not a new one. It came long before the movement known as "agvocating.” Indeed, original "agvocates" like Max Armstrong and Orion Samuelson have been telling urban audiences about ag for decades. But it's exciting to see a farmer get involved.
When Brian Scott tweets a photo from his Indiana farm shop and sparks a conversation with a consumer? That's good stuff. Same goes for Ray Prock and his blog about his dairy herd in California. Mike Haley tweets photos of cows in Ohio, and I've learned a whole lot about California almonds via Brent Boersma on Instagram. (We don't have almonds here in Illinois; lots of corn, beans, cattle and hogs. But no almonds.)
We can all learn a lot. And we can all tell a story. We have a consuming public that's eager to know just exactly what we're all doing out here.
And, in between feeding the cows and mixing the feed, we have a good story to tell.
It's morning on the farm. And it's a good one.
Holly is an associate editor for Prairie Farmer. From her Illinois farm, she covers agriculture for Farm Progress, and writes a column and blog that shares the perspective of a young farm family.
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