March 21 is National Ag Day, a time for the country to show appreciation for all that agricultural producers do.

Kevin.Schulz, senior content specialist

March 16, 2017

2 Min Read
Celebrate your noble profession
Agriculture Council of America

Man’s survival, from the time of Adam and Eve until the invention of agriculture, must have been precarious because of his inability to ensure his food supply.

– Norman Borlaug

If anyone knows a thing or two about ensuring a food supply, it’s the esteemed Norman Borlaug. Borlaug’s development of high-yielding wheat is credited with saving a billion people worldwide, earning him the title of “father of the Green Revolution.”

I had the honor of meeting Borlaug only once before he passed away in 2009, but up until the very end he was passionate about agriculture and feeding the world.

Agriculture producers across the board share that same passion, and though they may not individually be responsible for saving a billion people, each one is an integral cog in the food-producing machine that is American agriculture.

Today, it is estimated that each American farmer feeds 155 people around the world. American farmers have improved their productivity and efficiency over the years, as in 1960 that number was 25.8.

That is a profession of which to be proud.

In addition to agriculture being a noble profession, it is also made up a mass of humble workers. Farmers go about feeding the world, without getting a lot of credit. As consumers are becoming further and further removed from an agricultural upbringing, those same consumers have developed a supposed knowledge of how agriculture should be done. Consumers feel they know that farmers should not be growing genetically modified crops or raising hogs in crates, or inside barns for that matter.

Despite the negativity that some anti-livestock groups are slinging, many consumers outside of production agriculture are proud of the work that you do. Though farmers should be honored each time a consumer sits down for a balanced meal, on day each year is set aside to honor this noble profession. March 21 is National Ag Day, a product of the Agriculture Council of America, and the program began in 1973. The ACA believes that every American should:

• 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.

Pork producers have become accustomed to thanking consumers for choosing pork over other available proteins, and National Ag Day is a time for the general populace to say “thank you, farmer.” 

Maybe you also want to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

The experience of ages has shown that a man who works on the land is purer, nobler, higher, and more moral ... Agriculture should be at the basis of everything.

 – Nikolai Gogol, Russian writer

About the Author(s)

Kevin.Schulz

senior content specialist, National Hog Farmer

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