Every Day is National Agriculture Day

Every Day is Agriculture Day

Happy National Agriculture Day! On March 15th, universities, organizations and individuals from across the United States will celebrate the role that agriculture plays in our everyday lives. Having an agricultural background, the strangest phrase that I’ve ever been told is, “I really don’t have any connection to agriculture at all.” Knowing the diversity of agriculture, and everything that it has to offer, I think it’s important that we know that we all play a role in agriculture and that we all should be celebrating Agriculture Day!

The first thought that comes to most individuals minds when you bring up the word “agriculture” is the idea of the farmer, driving a tractor through his fields. Though this is an important aspect, more than 21 million workers in America (or about 15% of the workforce) is employed in the agricultural industry. Opportunities include careers in Park and Recreation Management, health-care and pharmaceutical packaging and food science.

This is also a great time for consumers to get involved in the agricultural industry because it provides a variety of choices. Grass-fed or grain-fed, all natural or organic, we are able to take advantage of each option because the hard working farmers and ranchers who dedicate themselves to our industry. Not only are these farmers and ranchers producing a variety of products for us to enjoy, there are also producing more with less. According the American Farm Bureau, today’s farmers produce 262 percent more food with 2 percent fewer inputs (labor, seeds, feed, fertilizer, etc.), compared with 1950.

Not only should we be celebrating agriculture in the United States, but worldwide as well. This past January, I was able to travel to South Africa with the National FFA Organization. During our 10 day stay, we were able to tour many different agricultural operations, including a family owned dairy, and even one of the top 5 producing farms in the country! My travels made me realize that agriculture is advancing all over the world!

Even though March 15th may be the official day of National Agriculture Day, it’s important that we celebrate the industry that feeds the our nation, and every nation around the world, everyday. So whether it’s sitting down to a meal, putting on that cotton shirt, or planting a new set of flowers to mark the beginning of spring, go out, and celebrate agriculture!

If you’d like to learn more about National Agriculture Day, visit (http://www.agday.org)

Yours truly,

Kyler Langvardt

How Much Food Do You Waste?

I said no jalapenos, but they arrive anyway. Classic food waste problem.

Food waste is a big issue for everyone: farmers, ranchers, consumers, food retailers, policy makers etc. Everyone has a stake in food waste and has something to lose.
Which is why it's an issue that all people should be fully aware of and should be working together to find a solution. I mean, Americans waste 40% of the food we buy at the grocery store. Imagine this: you go buy your fruits and veggies, Cheetos, lean meats and chocolate milk, go through the checkout and dole out your hard-earned cash. Then go home and through almost half of it in the trash, straight away. Boom gone. That's what Americans do, we waste food.

U.S. residents spent on average about $2,273, or about 6.4 percent of their annual consumer expenditures, on food in 2012, according to the USDA. In other countries, like Pakistan, residents spend almost half of their income. HALF. In India and China that number is upwards of 25%. I mean, why wouldn't we throw away our food, we have can always buy more?

While we tend to talk about food waste on a personal level, there is also a level of responsibility to retailers and restaurants. I can't remember how many times I have been at a restaurant and asked for them NOT to send out lettuce and tomatoes for my cheeseburger and a) the waitress will say "well, it comes on the side" and not write it down or b) the chef will forget and include it anyway. Guess what happens when that tomato and lettuce gets to my table? You guessed it - nothing. I don't eat it and it undoubtedly goes in the trash. That is food waste!

The bottom line is that we can all do a better job of not wasting food because honestly, I don't believe that we have a food production problem in the world. If we could cut back our food waste and improve our food distribution throughout the world, we could make giant steps in world hunger.

So, next time you go to a restaurant, if you don't want your veggies don't order them. Additionally, think twice about the jumbo size items - because do you honestly consume the whole jumbo bag of cereal before it goes stale?

Just some Food For Thought!

Buzzard

Dust to Dust

 A dust storm approaching  Stratford, TX - 1939 

photo credit

by: DJ Rezac

This week most Americans are looking forward to spending some quality time with our families, logging time on the couch and of course the all-important Thanksgiving dinner. Here in the United States, we set aside this Thursday every year to give thanks for the people, places, and things we love the most. Although I like to think I do it more than once a year, it is admittedly tough for me to keep things in perspective in this fast paced world that we live in and to take time to gives thanks for all that I have. However, this week I found something that really did the trick. 

World renowned director and producer Ken Burns, famous for his documentaries which include The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz and The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, has hit another home run with the most recent addition to his trophy case, The Dust Bowl. This two part film, which aired on most PBS stations on the 18^th and 19^th, chronicles the hardships and perseverance of tens of thousands of people living in the plains during a time period known as the “Dirty 30’s”.  

 During the 1930’s, as a result of the use of farming practices suited for the heavy, moisture rich soils of the east as well as 10 years of drought, billions of tons of top soil were blown away in massive dust storms that blacked out the sun and anything else in their path. Towns were decimated, livelihoods destroyed, families uprooted and many lives lost. The film includes firsthand accounts from several people who scratched out a living during the Dust Bowl as well as hundreds of striking photographs and rarely seen video footage. I strongly encourage everyone to take the time this week to watch this film on your local PBS station which will replay the series. To find out when it will air on your station visit the PBS website http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/tv-schedules/ . The series can also be purchased on DVD or downloaded from iTunes.

Today, as the US experiences what we perceive as “hard times”, I think it’s important to remember the things that we have experienced as a nation not so long ago. Survivors of the Dust Bowl tell how their parents refused to go on “Relief” (government assistance) until the point of starvation for no reason other than their own pride and determination to remain self–reliant. What would another Dust Bowl-like event bring today?  

Though the rains eventually returned and soil conservation practices were adopted to restore the ability of the ground to support agriculture, the area now relies largely on irrigation from the Ogallala aquifer to sustain the necessary crop production. The recent drought in the area has put a strain on the aquifer and unless rains return to recharge it or decrease usage the subterranean river will likely continue to be diminished. 

The good news is that through technologies including genetically modified (GMO) drought tolerant crops, precision agriculture, No-Till farming, judicious irrigation and continued use of the soil conservation methods we are producing more food with fewer resources than ever before. Clearly if we hope to sustain our population we must continue to embrace technologies such as these and continue to improve them. It is important to keep our errors and lessons vivid in our memories and look back as well as to the future to prevent another Dust Bowl.

This Thursday, besides being thankful for my family, loved-ones and how truly fortunate I am to live in the greatest nation of earth, I will be especially thankful for the mistakes I have made as I realize now their true worth:

The mistakes we make today are the seeds of tomorrow’s harvest.

#foodthanks for the American Farmer

The month of November ranks rather high on my list of favorite months. Not only is it the month of my birthday, but its part of the beautiful fall season and marks a much anticipated holiday- Thanksgiving. Many families take time during the start of the holiday season to give thanks for the most special things that are part of their lives. If any of you are like me and spend much of your free time on Facebook; I’m sure you’ve seen the many status updates aimed at giving Thanks for something different each day.

This simple act of giving thanks is a deed, often gone undone. As American’s we have the honor in being citizens of a free nation. We should give thanks each day to the men and women who fought for our Country’s freedom, and continue to protect this great Country. We have the right to stand up and speak freely for what we believe in, and the ability to worship; regardless of what denomination one might believe in.

As a faithful Christian, loyal American citizen and a proud daughter and granddaughter of an American Farmer and Rancher; part of what I’m so thankful for is American Agriculture. Growing up on a family farm has taught me countless lessons and morals that I carry with me each day. I take pride in being able to work alongside my family; caring for our land, our animals and providing America with safe, affordable, and wholesome food for our neighbors and their families across the country.

As your thinking about your menu this Thanksgiving and making your grocery list, be sure to give thanks to the folks who represent 2 percent of the population; the farmers that provide enough food, fuel and fiber for the remaining 98 percent of Americans. The freedom of being an American farmer provides families with a variety of food choices; whether it comes from conventional, organic, large or small family farms. Agriculture is one of America’s richest traditions, and provides remarkable economic stability for our country. Without the dedication, honesty and hard work of American farmers and ranchers, it would be a little harder to find the words to give #foodthanks this holiday season.

In closing, I leave you with a call to action. Like many of my friends on Facebook, I’m going to give thanks to something each day…But here’s my twist. Of all the many blessings there are to share; I’m going to give #foodthanks each day. So join me in thanking our farmers for providing the nourishment to keep us healthy, clothing to keep us warm, renewable energy to keep our engines and fires burning and for caring for our Earth for future generations of American families to enjoy!

With many thanks,
Kiley

I give #foodthanks because...

I give #foodthanks because I am a farmer's daughter. 

 I took my nephews and niece to a small pig farm in my area so that they could learn about pigs and play with the babies! If my niece and nephews get involved in the family farm, they will be the 5th generation of Rooney's to farm in Haskell County, Kansas.

In light of a campaign put on by the AgChat Foundation called #foodthanks, I wanted to compile a simple list of why I am thankful for American farmers and ranchers who provide the food on my table everyday.

1. I am thankful for the farming community because it is the reason I was raised in a rural setting. We may not have access to a large shopping area or abundant choices for restaurants where I live, but I consider the quality of life in Satanta, KS, to be very high.
2. I am thankful for the farming community because it is going to be my career! I am a veterinary student at Kansas State University and would like to return to rural Kansas and get involved in food animal health. I also see a lot of opportunity for community enrichment programs with education brought in by a veterinarian for companion animal owners. 
3. I am thankful for the farming community because they, though small in number, feed and clothe the world! It is fascinating to me how my dad's cotton grown in Haskell County ends up in a foreign country for processing and then back in the US as denim for jeans. Or how the corn he grows ends up in the rations fed to cattle in our region's feedlot industry which are eventually sent to slaughter locations in our backyard to be shipped to foreign countries that do not produce enough meat to fill their demand.
4. Finally, I am thankful for the farming community because my family has been a part of it for several generations and now my generation is getting ready to jump in to the family business! It makes us all very proud that the same pieces of ground my great grandfather first farmed will be planted by my brother and cousins this spring.

What makes you thankful for farmers? If you do not have a tie to Agriculture, your reasons for showing #foodthanks may be even better than ours! Please feel free to share with us!

All my best,

Tera Rooney