Speak up for Ag!
Submitted by Sheila Miller on Fri, 03/14/2008 - 8:48am.
Get ready to celebrate! National Agriculture Week begins March 16th and concludes on March 22nd. On Thursday, as we welcome the first day of Spring, farmers and every person who eats at least one meal a day need to observe National Ag Day --- a day to reflect on the agricultural industry and its place of importance in our everyday lives.
As the new Agricultural Coordinator in Berks County, I decided two weeks ago that it would be a travesty to allow this special occasion to pass unheralded by our local farm and non-farm communities. With a little planning advice from the Agriculture Council of America, I began to pull things together so we could successfully get the message out to the general public about how their lives depend on farmers and the food we produce.
I am thrilled that the collaboration has been enthusiastic. With the cooperation of the farm organizations in the county, we will be holding an Open House at our Agricultural Center the entire day. In the morning, a task force will come together to talk about agriculture’s issues, needs and concerns and how they might be addressed. We will review our efforts to preserve farmland and farmers in today’s economy.
In the afternoon, the youth of our farm community will gather together to present an overflowing galvanized water tub filled with the bounty of Berks County’s food industry. Bountiful Berks will be become our “buy fresh, buy local” theme in the months ahead. At the end of the day, our collection of food and agricultural products will be presented to our team of County Commissioners who have already demonstrated their support for the entire agricultural industry in our region, from field to plate. Our 4-H and FFA youth leaders will learn a valuable civics about the importance public officials play in the total picture of agriculture and the impact they can have on its future.
I’m excited about a partnership we have formed with our two hospitals, Saint Joseph’s Medical Center and the Reading Hospital and Medical Center, in coordinating an Ag Day Baby Celebration. Working with Extension’s Family Living and Consumer Science educator, Sue Giachero, we will be presenting each hospital’s lucky mom and infant with a basketful of information, nutritious snacks, and other gifts.
We truly appreciate the enthusiasm and support of these two health care facilities that will be helping us spread the word about the importance of good nutrition and the opportunities consumers have to buy local food. On an electronic billboard they have along one of Berks County’s major highways, St. Joseph’s Medical Center will be displaying facts about agriculture and announcing National Ag Day throughout the entire first day of Spring.
Test your knowledge of the Ag Facts that will be shared with travelling motorists. Did you know that:
· More than three million people farm in the United States. Individuals, family partnerships or family corporations operate almost 99 percent of U.S. farms.
· More than 22 million people are employed in farm or farm-related jobs, including production agriculture, farm inputs, processing and marketing and wholesale and retail sales.
· According to the 2002 Census of Agriculture, 50 percent of the farmers are 55 years of age or older, up only three percent from 1997. Average age of the principal operator is 55.3.
· Forty-one percent of U.S. total land area is farmland (938.28 million acres). In 1900, the average farm size was 147 acres, compared to 441 acres today.
· The top five agricultural commodities are cattle and calves, dairy products, broilers, corn and soybeans.
· U.S. farmers produce 46% of the world’s soybeans, 41% of the world’s corn, 20.5% of the world’s cotton and 13% of the world’s wheat.
· In the 1960s one farmer supplied food for 25.8 persons in the U.S. and abroad. Today, one farmer supplies food for 144 people in the U.S. and abroad. Agriculture products are America's leading exports.
· A new technique called "precision farming" boosts crop yields and reduces waste by using satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions.
· Farm equipment has evolved dramatically from the team of horses used in the early 1900s. Today’s four-wheel drive tractors have the power of 40- 300 horses. This makes for a large capital investment, as farmers pay anywhere from $97,000 for an average 160 horsepower tractor to $170,000 for a four-wheel drive model.
· In the 1930s, before modern farm machinery was available, a farmer could harvest an average of 100 bushels of corn by hand in a nine-hour day. Today’s combines can harvest 900 bushels of corn per hour-or 100 bushels of corn in less than seven minutes!
· The efficiency of U.S. farmers benefits United States consumer in the pocketbook. Americans spend less on food than any other developed nation in the world. On average in 2004, Americans spent only 2% of their disposable income on meat and poultry, compared to 4.1 percent in 1970.
These are interesting facts just waiting to be shared with your neighbors and friends. Today, more than ever, we farm in a fish bowl. We are surrounded by people who watch every move we make. We count on these people to buy what we produce. We depend on one another to have a good life. Now’s the time to build that local partnership and make it a positive experience.
Take the opportunity to share the good news about modern agriculture. Open communication will help folks understand what we do to make a living on the land. We have lots to talk. When people listen to what we have to say, we can help to dispel misinformation about modern agricultural practices.
On National Ag Day, let someone know that farmers care about the environment, their livestock, and the world around us. Call into a radio talk show, put a sign out by your mailbox, or write a letter to the local newspaper editor. Speak up for agriculture.
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