Written By: Olivia P. Pearson
Every March, a special day is set aside to spotlight agriculture and the hardworking folks within the industry that help to clothe and feed the world! This year, National Ag Day is March 20th, 2018!
According to Ag Day's website, the Agriculture Council of America and the National Ag Day program were started in 1973. The purpose of National Ag Day is to increase the public's awareness of agriculture's vital role in society.
National Ag Day helps Americans:
- Understand how food and fiber products are produced
- Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products
- Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy
- Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry
Each American farmer feeds more than 155 people, which is an increase from only 25 people in the 1960s, according to the Agricultural Council of America. With the Earth’s population increasing to 9 billion people by 2050, our farmers will need to increase food production to help feed the world. It has become more important than ever to tell the “Ag Story.”
How can you promote Ag Day:
- Plan an event (i.e. Ag Day breakfast, display at the library, field trip to a local farm)
- Work with local media (newspapers, news channels) to let the area know it’s National Ag Day
- Promote Ag Day on social media, the radio, tv, local news
- Share Ag Day materials with your local schools, teachers, friends and family
- Create Facebook/Snapchat filters to promote National Ag Day or agriculture commodities (i.e. I Support Dairy Farmers, I Support Agriculture, etc.)
For Teachers and Students:
- Teachers can help celebrate Ag Day by educating students about where food comes from and the importance of agriculture in their daily lives
- A few project ideas for teachers are Ag In The Classroom, Virtual Farm Tours, Farm Field Trips, In Classroom Agricultural Games.
- Teachers can help celebrate Ag Day by educating students about career opportunities within agriculture (i.e. Agribusiness Management, Ag & Natural Resources Communications, Building Construction Management, Agriscience, Resource Development and Management, Parks, Recreations, Tourism Resources, Packaging, Horticulture, Forestry, Food Science, Animal Science, and Fisheries/Wildlife.