Celebrate National Ag Day!

by kelsey | Mar 20, 2018 | Diet, Etc., Family, Food, Wellness/Health

If you ate today, be sure to thank a farmer! Today is National Ag Day! Consumers want to know where their food comes from, yet know very little about how food gets from the farm to the dinner table; in fact, most consumers today are three generations removed from the farm. For example, one thing consumers are unaware of is that milk travels from the farm to grocery store in about 48 hours. In addition, some criticize farmers because they use GMO (genetically modified organisms) seeds and hormones in cattle to promote growth. Farmers understand the science behind these products and why they should be used: by using them, they can use less water, less pesticide and herbicide, and produce enough yield to feed the world! Without these scientific advancements, we would not be able to feed the starving world! Farmers share the same values as consumers on many topics including those related to producing nutritious food, environmental stewardship and animal care. This is not a just a “job” for them, it is their life! Check out the information and facts below!

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.

Why Celebrate Agriculture?
Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution. This is particularly the case in our schools, where students may only be exposed to agriculture if they enroll in related vocational training.

By building awareness, the Agriculture Council of America is encouraging young people to consider career opportunities in agriculture.

Each American farmer feeds more than 165 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. https://www.agday.org/promote

Here are few fun facts for you about agriculture in South Dakota include:

• 98% of farms in South Dakota are family owned and operated – in fact, over 2,500 South Dakota farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years.
• The average size of a farm in South Dakota in 2016 was 1,397 acres.
• The average age of a South Dakota farmer is 57 years.
• There are 46,000 producers in South Dakota on 31,000 farms or ranches.
• Each year, one South Dakota producer raises enough food to feed 155 people in the U.S. and abroad.
• South Dakota’s agriculture industry has a $25.6 billion economic impact each year. With more than 19 million  acres of cropland and 23 million acres of pastureland, our farmers and ranchers are one of our economy’s key drivers.
• In addition to generating 20% of our state’s economic activity, production agriculture and its value added industries employ over 115,000 South Dakotans.

Here are some fun facts about dairy production:

•  Milk takes about 48 hours to get from farm to store. Thanks to hardworking dairy farmers for making our food fresh & local.
• Between 1944 and 2007, milk production has quadrupled but emits 63% fewer greenhouse gasses, requires 90% less cropland and consumes 65% less water.
• Cheers to the dairy farmers working hard to make the milk behind our pizza!
• Take this 10-stop video tour to see how milk from real cows, on a Midwest farm, becomes dairy foods you love. Use your smartphone, tablet or computer for an insider’s view of dairy farm living: http://bit.ly/MidwestFarmTour
• Delicious dairy comes from local farms – see for yourself: http://bit.ly/MidwestFarmTour

Producing the food that you put on your table, truly is a labor of love and hard work, so in celebration of National Ag Day, I encourage you to thank our local farmers for helping put that delicious food on your table and the clothing on your back… and take extra appreciation of it!

To all of you that work in acres, not hours. We thank you!

Below are some pictures of my favorite farmers: my husband Adam and son Corbin! Ag is our life and we are thankful for all it offers us!

Beautiful summer day to check cows in the pasture and give them some mineral.

Combining beans with Dad.

Playing in the corn! Gotta scoop up that corn in his payloader!

Corbin is an animal lover!! He loves his baby calf here at the Black Hills Stock Show!

Checking out Uncle Ben’s pigs!!

-Kelsey Raml, MS, RD, LN