Telling Your Story
March 19 is National Agriculture Day, a day set aside to celebrate farmers and agriculture's bounty!
The National Agriculture Day program wants every American to know the value of agriculture to the economy, understand the origin of food and fiber products, and appreciate agriculture for the safe and abundant food supply it provides.
Pats on the back are certainly in order as strides in production, efficiency and technology have boosted the ability of one farmer to feed 165 people today, versus only 25 people in the 1960s.
It's also a time to tell your story! Whether you are a full- or part-time farmer, were raised on a farm, or work in the agriculture industry in any way, sharing its influence in your life and livelihood lets people know just how broad is the brush that paints agriculture's picture.
If you haven't already made plans to make a big splash with an Agriculture Day event like an on-farm meeting or event, there is still time to do things that will get noticed.
Displays in schools, grocery stores, libraries, restaurants, or any high-traffic location are great. Now, a lot of us think about high traffic areas where the farming community goes—farm stores, elevator, hardware store. But try thinking in terms of places where more non-farmers might be reached to get the most bang for the effort of creating a display.
Schools are great places to give a presentation. Teachers are always looking for real life connections to lessons. It could be as simple as reading a farm story book to pre-school and lower elementary ages. You are certainly capable of producing simple lesson plans for an activity in a classroom, backed up by your own story and experiences. But you can always save time by checking with local Extension and Farm Bureau office to find some ready-made lesson materials that will save you the effort. You may even have time to establish a classroom pizza party that opens a door for explaining the origins of many ingredients into one favorite treat.
Point-of-purchase exhibits in a grocery store or farmer's market make for high impact events among non-farmers—especially if the exhibit is staffed with people from within agriculture.
It is also a good time to call on your legislators. If you don't already have a relationship with them, there is no time like National Ag Day to let them know you are part of their farm constituency and have a professional discussion about a topic that impacts your business.
Hosting a field day or on-farm meal, connecting agriculture day with a school lunch, setting up a petting zoo at an event are all great opportunities for outreach, but will take some time and planning to pull them off. Of course, these things don't have to happen on National Ag Day, and scheduling them for better chances at favorable weather later in the spring is always an option.
One easy thing that many of us can do is share on social media platforms. There are resources available to make it easy at the National Ag Day website, https://www.agday.org/about. Share the hashtag #AGDAY24 on your social media posts to escalate the impact.
National Agriculture Day is the perfect time to promote your products and the methods you use to grow them. Shout it out in whatever ways you can and show your pride in your American agriculture heritage!
Bev Berens is a freelance writer and FFA parent from Holland, Mich. She can be contacted at uphillfarm494@yahoo.com.