America Celebrates Agriculture March 8

Today — Thursday, March 8 — is the 39th anniversary of National Ag Day, appropriately the same day that I post my weekly blog dedicated to the agriculture industry.

Deservedly, agriculture has its own day in recognition of what it provides to our country and its residents.

National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA). ACA is a nonprofit organization of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society. ACA developed a video to promote its important mission.

The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

• 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

According to Dean Bev Durgan of the Minnesota University Extension:

“We are living in a time of record land prices and good profits from agriculture. Today, agriculture employs 14 percent of the U.S. workforce and agricultural graduates have multiple job offers. There is an increased recognition of the importance of farmers and food. Even Bill Gates, the second-richest person in the world, is now devoting his wealth toward improving agricultural productivity.”

Though those of us active with the industry understand its significance, there is still much work to be done to educate consumers about the role of ranching and farming to sustaining and supporting American people and the U.S. economy.

“Not only do we need to teach consumers about farming, but those of us who work in agriculture need to continually upgrade our knowledge,” said Durgan.

Diane Gress from Shreve, Ohio, won the 2012 Ag Day Video Essay Contest and importantly noted during her video, “Most consumers do not realize the importance of agriculture to their everyday lives. In reality, from tomatoes to T-shirts, agriculture provides a myriad of products that consumers never connect to agricultural production.”

The consumer education process beings with American youth. Countrywide programs are essential to increase awareness of the necessity of the industry and range from state Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H groups, to national efforts such as the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” campaign.

It’s been widely reported that farmers and ranchers will be responsible for feeding more than 9 billion people by 2050, more than the current 144 people each farmer is currently responsible for feeding.

ACA describes American agriculture best — “abundant, affordable, amazing.” So today, I urge you to honor a member of the industry.

Are you doing your part to educate friends, family and acquaintances about the role of agriculture?

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What experts, advisers need to know about farmers

This week, I’m featuring a guest author. Dr. Val Farmer, a clinical psychologist specializing in family business consultation and mediation with farm families authored the following piece, which is a great reflection of the mindset of the American farmer.

*As originally printed in Farm & Ranch Guide, May 4, 2011
Author: Dr. Val Farmer


Which occupational group rivals physicians in receiving unsolicited mail? Which occupational group consumes a substantial portion of our nation’s industrial output and is the focus of persuasion from scientists, economists, financiers, legal and tax advisors, policymakers, extension agents and representatives of agribusiness?

If you are a regular reader of this column, you probably guessed it. Farmers and ranchers are the targets of intensive efforts of persuasion and education. But how well do people trying to influence them understand their motivations and needs? What do they need to know about farmers to be successful?

Long-term view. Farmers love their profession. Curiosity about life and growth, internal standards of excellence and a continued commitment to improvement offer a creative challenge. Farmers are applied biologists trying to manage the forces of nature and fashion a livelihood for their families.

Experience on the land gives them an understanding and appreciation of its productive capacity. Farming is never done. Tomorrow and the children’s tomorrows depend on wise stewardship of natural resources.

Farmers are committed to the continuity of their operations and take a long-range perspective on innovations. They can’t afford serious mistakes. Farmers gather information from many sources and are conservative in risk-taking. The vagaries of weather, cost of production and market conditions add to their reluctance to expose themselves to high-risk situations.

No cushion. Agriculture as a whole is an industry under stress. The farmer operates in one of the freest segments of a global market economy. There is no fixed or guaranteed income. There is no employer to take the risks or smooth over the shortfalls. Living with uncertainty and stress is the price they pay for freedom.

The freedom and control farmers experience is greatest when it comes to decisions about the use of the human, financial and natural resources at their disposal. Farmers resist control from outside but are usually amenable to influence. Within their span of control, the fabled independence of farmers is real.

Making a profit is crucial. Why should a farmer adopt a new idea or product? Experts often lose sight of the fact that their primary objective ought to be the economic success of the farmer. Convince a farmer that he or she can materially benefit from an innovation and that the costs of implementation are affordable, and it is likely they will do it.

Technical experts such as scientists and economists have to bridge the gap from theory to practical application. The expert with the security of a fixed income may forget about the bottom line.

There is no shortage of creative ideas or potential improvements, but there is a shortage of resources. If resources were abundant, action-oriented farmers would look hard at changes they would like to make.

Communication and relationships. As much energy needs to be put into presentation and communication as is put into basic research. Technical experts often neglect communication and persuasion and then are mystified why their work isn’t appreciated or adopted. Purists enamored with the technicalities and the ideal quickly lose their audience. They can’t see the prairie because of the grass.

Many excellent ideas are developed in another context. They have to be adapted to specific conditions. A good idea for one particular operator may not be a good idea for everybody.
Part of being an expert is to know a lot about a small part of the total system. A technical expert would do well to read and study broadly in related fields so that the information fits a context. The race they are running may be in their own bathtub.

Some of the experts are also inclined to be parochial to their institution or their school of thought instead of championing an idea because of its merit. What makes people persuasive is the honesty they bring to the entire discussion rather than selling a particular product.
The expert who comes on too strong forgets that his job is to influence, not control. The farmer doesn’t forget who actually makes the decisions and who has to live with the consequences.

Farmers respect results. They respect their peers. If four or five esteemed operators from a given community try an innovation and make it work, then it won’t be long before the rest will want to try it. Educational efforts can be directed at those farmers who are progressive and in an economic position to experiment.

Helping someone else succeed is a tremendously satisfying experience. The people supporting the farmer will succeed in their effort when they, along with the farmer, are able to look at the prairie instead of the grass.

Some people have too much pride to accept an idea if they don’t have it first. They prefer to hang back and criticize the others. They are not secure enough in themselves to entertain an outside idea on the basis of its value instead of judging its source.

Timing is everything. The timing of a new idea may be poor. A person under intense pressure may not be objective about new ideas. Similarly, a person who has already decided on a course of action or just mastered a skill will not want to change horses in midstream, no matter how good the other horses might be.

Photo obtained from: projectwordpress.org

A New Kid in Town: American Goat Federation Debut

When one thinks of a traditional farm, images of cows, pigs and chickens typically come to mind, but not images of goats.

Maybe they should?

Goats are becoming more and more integrated into the modern farming industry, as evidenced by the recent inauguration of the The American Goat Federation (AGF).

On November 10, AGF became the national trade association for goat producers.

Goats were first domesticated by neolithic farmers because they’re a great source of milk and meat. Their dung was used as fuel and their bones, hair and sinew for clothing, building and tools.

Since then, goats have been raised primarily to process their milk for cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream and body products. Their hair is used in the textile industry and their meat is becoming more popular in cuisines.

According to its website, “The American Goat Federation promotes and facilitates the development of all segments of the goat industry including dairy, meat and fiber, by encouraging sound public policy, enhancing production and marketing of goat products, and promoting research beneficial to our member organizations and all producers.”

Goat Facts
• More than 300 breeds
• Produce approximately 2 percent of the world's total annual milk supply
• Cheaper to manage than cattle

Ohio has the potential for a blossoming goat industry.

“Traditonally, Ohio is not a goat state, and goats raised in Ohio are mostly for the local 4-H markets. However, with the tremendous influx of immigration and increasing health consciousness of the population, there seems to be a large market for goat meat in Ohio,” states an Ohio State University Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center paper. “This, along with the fact that many previous tobacco farmers have spare land and goats are easy to raise, trigger an increasing interest on the farmers’ side for production and processing.”

The Ohio Valley Dairy Goat Association and the Mid-Ohio Goat Dairy Goat Association are examples of state groups that promote the potential and the success of Ohio goat farming.

Ohio Goat Facts (2007 Census of Agriculture)

• Ranked 13 in the nation
• Ranked 50 globally
• Generates $14,186,000 annually

As years progress, it will be interesting to note how the goat industry expands to become a contender in the traditional livestock market, especially in Ohio. However, market infrastructure (ex: no goat processing plants) requires a major overhaul for the Ohio goat industry to really flourish.

Have you prepared or eaten anything made with goat? Do you know anyone who raises goats?

Photo obtained from: newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org