Our Ag Story

We have returned from the Young Ag Couples Conference feeling refreshed and inspired. I personally am feeling very pumped about being in Agriculture.  Why is agriculture important? Food, fibers, and chemicals from agriculture products feed and clothe the world.  It is a privilege to be part of a family who can produce these items.

What is frightening is how LITTLE the average person knows about where their food comes from.

One of the speakers at our conference grew up in an urban community in Iowa, with no farm kids at her school and very little exposure to agriculture.  She told our group about how she knew basically nothing about agriculture and farming, though she now works for Montana Stockgrowers Association.  Her position is to teach about and promote Montana Beef through social media.  Check out Montana Stockgrowers Association Website.   She has learned a lot in the short time she has been in this position. I can relate to her journey in many ways.

After her presentation, a young man in the room raised his hand and asked, "How can you be from Iowa and not have known anything about agriculture?"

I have tried to explain this phenomenon to my husband before, about my own background.  About all I knew about agriculture was that corn lined the roads we drove to get from our house to grandma's when we went for visits.  And when there wasn't corn lining the roads, at least I did know that it was probably soybeans.  And, the hog-lot nearby smelled bad when the wind blew the right way (should I say wrong way?).  There was no FFA or 4-H at my school, no-one who would have been involved in either program.

One statistic we learned at our conference that stuck with me is that 80% of the public in the US lives in urban areas.  People don't know about agriculture. They don't know where their food comes from. Can you name five root vegetables? Can you name three cereal grains? Many people can't, so if you can, you're ahead of the game.

What does this all mean for me and Jeff? I think we have a responsibility to tell our Ag Story.  We have a responsibility to educate people about our piece of the ag-production puzzle. What are we doing on our farm/ranch? And how does it affect YOU?

In these days of social media, it is imperative that any business at the very least has a website.  Facebook, Twitter, Blogging and all the other countless ways businesses promote themselves online are essential to the survival of a business.  Word-of-mouth is the most influential factor used when consumers make decisions about products and services.

By that token, farmers and ranchers are, in most cases, individual small businesses all on their own.  Would it not then stand to reason that it is just as imperative for the survival of our own businesses to tell the world our story?

All this being said, my ideas about this blog have been reinvigorated. I am hoping to use this and my facebook page to educate you, my friends and family (and anyone you share this with!!!), about our Ag Story.

Stay tuned for more information gleaned from the Young Ag Couples Conference, and more regular farming-related posts on the blog.