Celebrate Agriculture on March 15th with National Ag Day

National Ag Day was started by the Agriculture Council of America in 1973 to recognize and celebrate the contributions of the industry. The abundance the industry provides touches our lives every day, from the food on the table to the shirts on our backs. The theme this year is Agriculture: Stewards of a Healthy Planet.

Through programs and events, Ag Day emphasizes the importance of understanding the value of agriculture in our daily lives. Agriculture plays an essential role in maintaining a strong economy, and increasing public awareness helps American understand how food, fiber, and renewable resource products are produced. As America is the largest global exporter of food it proves how our farmers have an impact worldwide

Farmers grow and distribute safe, abundant, affordable products for both domestically and globally. It is for this reason that Ag Day brings together producers, agricultural associations, universities, corporations, and government agencies to develop industry practices and science to continue to grow technologies and resources to feed a growing world population. For example, a Stanford-led team of researchers has developed a method to “estimate crop yields using satellites that can measure solar-induced fluorescence light emitted by growing plants.” Mapping growth gives the researchers a tool to study how crop yields fluctuate under changing weather conditions. This kind of research will prepare us to meet the demands of feeding the world population. The work that the agriculture industry provides us with food on our table.

At PEER we don’t need a special day to remind us of the importance of farmers and agriculture. We support the industry with top-quality agricultural and seeding and tilling solutions designed to meet the challenging environmental conditions farmers and their machinery contends with to bring us, and the world, the products we need to survive.

Our societal shift from rural communities to cities has left a void in the knowledge of where our food comes from that Ag Day hopes to fix. As spring gets underway in most of the country, the seeds are being planted for summer and fall harvests while crops are continuing to grow in temperate states like Florida and California. Every day is Ag Day in those areas! So, remember to thank a farmer on March 15th when you open the fridge!