STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSES MOUTH

Duane A. Lienemann,

UNL Extension Educator

Webster County April 6, 2011 Edition Washington DC has done it to me again!

Normally National Ag Day falls on the first day of Spring – March 20, and of course National Ag Week surrounds it. Not this year. Because of a change of venue in Washington DC, the powers that be have decided instead to go about a week earlier with March 14, with National Ag Week falling on March 13-19. Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis, and is increasingly contributing to fuel and other bio-products. Each year, members of the agricultural industry gather together to promote American agriculture. This effort helps educate millions of consumers each year. It is becoming more and more of an important task. Just a few generations ago most Americans were directly involved, or had relatives or friends involved in, agricultural-related endeavors. They used to at least say grandpa and grandma lived on a farm. Today, that is no longer the case. There is, like no time in history, more of a disconnect between the farm and rural communities and our brethren in urban areas. That is why it is so important that we join together at the community level and that our voices, in concert, become a shout that carries our message a great deal further than any one of us can do alone! I challenge all of you to join this effort to celebrate and promote American agriculture. Agriculture is amazing! And that actually is the theme for this year. Agriculture is Amazing: Agriculture is amazing for providing the necessities of everyday life ... food, fiber, clothing and even fuel. That’s the message of National Ag Day. The National Ag Week program is committed to increasing public awareness about American agriculture. As the world population soars, there is even greater demand for the food, fiber and renewable resources that the United States produces. Every American should understand how food, fiber and renewable resource products are produced and should value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. They should appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. National Ag Day will focus on educating Americans about the industry, so they may also acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, fiber and renewable resource industry. What Is Ag Day All About? Ag Day is about recognizing - and celebrating - the contribution of agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to: Understand how food and fiber products are produced; Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy; Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products; To come to realize how Amazing Agriculture really is! What Can I Do to Help? Put simply, get involved! Your participation in Ag Day is critical in helping us spread this positive message about agriculture. Of course, there are other ways you can lend your support, including sending a letter to your local newspaper, calling your Congressional representatives or simply sharing information about agriculture with youngsters in your community. Talk about the importance of agriculture on social media that you use. If you are a farmer or rancher, make a statement on Facebook, or perhaps show the good things you do via a video on YouTube. I know that many of you utilize a media called Twitter. Whatever you use brings us one step closer to telling our story. National Ag Day is about recognizing and celebrating the abundance provided by agriculture in the United States. One key to that abundance has been a steady supply of people choosing careers in the agriculture industry. Many people learned about those career opportunities in an agriculture program, whether at the high school level or beyond. Ag educators not only expose students to opportunities in agriculture, they give those students the practical and academic skills they need to be successful – whether they’re going into the production, technology or science areas of agriculture. Why Celebrate Agriculture? Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people, a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more and doing it better. As the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States. By 2050 we will have 9 billion to feed. Too few people truly understand the contribution of agriculture to their life and existence. This is particularly the case in our schools, where students may only be exposed to agriculture if they enroll in related vocational agriculture training. By building awareness, these classes/programs encourage young people to consider career opportunities in agriculture. National Teach Ag Day. A fact that I find troubling is that agriculture programs are struggling to find qualified educators to fill open positions. We have faced that in previous years and in fact I originally went into teaching ag as my first career because of a teacher shortage. I am glad to see that a “National Teach Ag Day” was started as a way for agricultural educators and advocates to celebrate the career of agricultural education and encourage students to consider a career in the field. Ironically, this year, National Teach Ag day will fall on March 24th, the week after Ag Day. That to me is a perfect fit. Agricultural educators are in the classroom every day teaching students about the amazing industry that is agriculture. Teach Ag Day is about communities promoting their local ag teachers work and dedication and even more importantly, helping more students choose to become agricultural educators. To learn more about the career of agricultural education, visit www.naae.org/teachag. Oh---and tell your ag teacher thank you – he/she deserves it! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: www.webster.unl.edu/home