Agriculture inspires people from the awe of new life, the picturesque sunsets, the clamor of a family meal in the field during harvest, to seeing something through from start to finish.
In communities, rural and urban, large or small, agriculture has a way of giving back. Private individuals and agriculture organizations, including American Agri-Women (AAW), donate food, scholarships, grants, and resources to make an impact. Why? Because agriculture highly regards the Earth and all the resources it provides.
Renewable fuels like ethanol (corn-based) and biodiesel (soy-based) are grown on farms here in the U.S., therefore decreasing our nation’s need for foreign oil dependence and reducing pollution in our bigger cities.
Technology in agriculture has advanced leaps and bounds over a short period of time. It has allowed for decreased seed costs, less chemical and fertilizer usage, lower fuel consumption, improvements in animal genetics, and overall animal welfare.
Farmers and ranchers are continually improving soil, water, and air resources with sustainable practices and have long been leading the way in caring for our environment. Voluntarily using conservation plans to address resource concerns on their land demonstrates their commitment to protecting the environment for future generations, not just on Earth Day, but every day.
It’s an important fact to point out that farms and ranches are multi-generational and equally proud. With that, comes the responsibility to ensure the land is left better than it was received for children and grandchildren. Running a farm or ranch is more than a way of life, it is also a family’s business and income. Success and profitability of any business comes with good management and taking care of your tools, resources, and employees; this is no different when it comes to farms and ranches.
Agriculture provides jobs for roughly 1 in 12 people in the U.S. That’s a considerable amount of people making a direct impact on changing the world. Together, we are doing it better and more efficiently than ever before. It doesn’t matter the role we have in agriculture; what matters is that we continue to do the best we can to improve our communities, which makes our Earth a better place.
American Agri-Women remind us to spread the message on social media by using #STANDUPSPEAKOUT4AG