National Ag Day – Views from VanDeWalle

Crops, Irrigation, Livestock, Programming, Youth

Celebrate Agriculture

March 7, 2019 Brandy VanDeWalle

Growing up on a small farm in Saline County, I appreciate the work of our farmers and ranchers. My dad still farms and my girls enjoy visiting the farm and I hope I can instill the same hard-working values and beliefs my parents instilled in my sister and I. This is part of the reason, my husband and I have starting raising a few chickens and have bucket calves for the girls to care for. With my husband as the Fillmore Central ag education instructor and myself as an extension educator for UNL, we hope to be teaching future generations the vast opportunities available in the agricultural industry. This week marks the time to celebrate agriculture so I have included some of the Agriculture Council of America’s press release in my column this week as well as some of Extension’s work in ag literacy 2019AgDay 235x250.jpg

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host National Agriculture Day on March 14, 2019. National Ag Day is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day 2019 is “Agriculture: Food For Life.”

On March 14, 2019, ACA will host major events in the nation’s capital including an event at the National Press Club as well as a Taste of Agriculture Celebration. Additionally, the ACA will bring approximately 100 college students to Washington to deliver the message of Ag Day. These events honor National Agriculture Day and mark a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate

National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America. ACA is a nonprofit organization composed 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. 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.

You might be glad to know that Nebraska Extension has a team of extension staff working on programming to educate consumers and youth about agriculture and tell the story of the American farmer and rancher. This is being done through agricultural literacy-focused festivals and programs, development of beef-booster curriculum, quality assurance programs and many others. Through 2018, over 51,000 Nebraska youth and adults statewide made changes and/or reinforced knowledge of food safety practices from when food is produced until food reaches consumers’ plates. Their actions will influence both the safety of food consumed by them and others.

Nebraska Extension’s team finalized and utilized five questions to evaluate youth programming focused on Consumer Confidence topics. Compiled results from youth who participated in three state-wide programs (Animals Inside & Out, AgCiting Science & Ag Festivals, which Fillmore & Clay County youth participated) for over 5400 elementary youth in 2018 showed: 97% of youth stated yes “I learned something new” as a result of the program, 97% of youth stated yes “I know farmers make good choices to keep our food safe”, 95% of youth stated yes “I can make healthy decisions about my food”, 95% of youth stated yes “I better understand where my food comes from” & 86% of youth stated yes “I will share with others about agriculture”. Forty-five certifications were provided in 2018 with 2,879 Beef Cattle Producers completed Beef Quality Assurance Certification which is valid for 3 years. In 2018, 9,189 Nebraska Youth participated in the Youth for Quality Care of Animals. This program trains youth of the Quality Assurance practices for all food animal species.

To see more of the impact Nebraska Extension’s programs had in 2018, go to https://extension.unl.edu/impact/.

Crops, Livestock, Youth

Celebrate Agriculture

March 18, 2018March 16, 2018 Brandy VanDeWalle

My daughters, McKenzie and Meredith love caring for their calves, helping in the garden and learning about agriculture.

2017AgDay 625x90 The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) will host National Agriculture Day on March 20, 2018. This will mark the 45th anniversary of National Ag Day which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day 2018 is “Agriculture: Food For Life.”

On March 20, 2018, ACA will host major events in the nation’s capital including an event at the National Press Club as well as a Taste of Agriculture Celebration. Additionally, the ACA will bring approximately 100 college students to Washington to deliver the message of Ag Day. These events honor National Agriculture Day and mark a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate.

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.

You might be glad to know that Nebraska Extension has a team of extension staff working on programming to educate consumers and youth about agriculture and tell the story of the American farmer and rancher. This is being done through agricultural literacy-focused festivals and programs, development of beef-booster curriculum, quality assurance programs and many others. In fact, over 26,000 youth learned about agriculture through ag literacy programs in 2017 alone and 216,000 individuals accessed web materials to teach/learn about food labeling, when food is still acceptable to eat and how to reduce food waste. Over 3,600 Nebraska youth were certified in Livestock Quality Assurance to implement good production practices ensuring animal care and well-being.

Check out the impact this group had in 2017 related to agriculture literacy.

Crops, Horticulture, Irrigation, Livestock, Uncategorized, Youth

Celebrate Agriculture!

March 20, 2017 Brandy VanDeWalle

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) hosts National Agriculture Day on March 21, 2017. This marks the 44th anniversary of National Ag Day, which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. The theme for National Ag Day 2017 is “Agriculture: Food For Life.” The purpose of National Agriculture Day is to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. A number of producers, agricultural associations, Ag Day2017 corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate.

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.

Since National Ag Day is one day out of the year, it is important for us to note that we everyday we should promote agriculture and share our story. Did you know how amazing Nebraska agriculture is? The Nebraska Department of Agriculture publishes some statistics that are interesting to read! For example, nationally, Nebraska ranks first in popcorn production, Great northern bean production and commercial red
meat production. Nebraska ranks second on pinto bean production, number of head of bison and proso millet production. We rank third for corn grain production and corn exports and fourth in cash receipts for all farm commodities. Nebraska ranks fifth soybean and grain sorghum production.

Cash receipts from farm marketings contributed over $23 billion to Nebraska’s economy in 2015 and 6.1 percent of the U.S. total. Every dollar in agricultural exports generates $1.22 in economic activities such as transportation, financing, warehousing and production. Nebraska’s $6.4 billion in agricultural exports in 2015 translate into $7.8 billion in additional economic activity.

One in four jobs in Nebraska is related to agriculture, thus the importance agriculture has on our economy. In Extension, we have several great programs that not only teach youth the importance of agriculture, but also strive to make youth aware of the numerous career opportunities in agriculture. As technology continues to advance, types of careers in agriculture will also continue to expand.

In conclusion, while March 21^st is one day devoted to celebrating agriculture, we should celebrate agriculture everyday. If you ate, thank a farmer or rancher who produced your food. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, tires on our cars, toothpaste, crayons, windshield wiper fluid, etc., we need to thank our American farmers and ranchers for providing us with products that are affordable and good for the environment. Thank you farmers and ranchers!

Crops, Programming

National Agriculture Day

March 9, 2015March 9, 2015 Brandy VanDeWalle

National Agriculture Day, March 18, spotlights American agriculture and serves as a reminder that agriculture is part of us all. The U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers join producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations in marking this occasion.

“National Agriculture Day is an opportunity for us to acknowledge the importance of the people who provide our food,” said Scott Heiberger, spokesman for the National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety, one of the 10 U.S. Ag Centers. “We want to highlight how important the health and wellbeing of the people in agriculture is to our whole society.”

The U.S. Ag Centers are promoting the theme, “Celebrating Safe and Healthy Ag Workers,” on this 42nd anniversary of National Agriculture Day. #AgDay2015 #farmsafety #USAGCenters

The Centers (www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/agctrhom.html) are funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Visit the Centers’ YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/USagCenters) for new content and fresh ideas about how to stay safe while working in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Topics include: personal protective equipment, livestock safety, tractor and machinery safety, child development, emergency response, grain safety, pesticide safety, heat illness prevention, ladder safety and hearing protection.

National Agriculture Day is being hosted by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA). National Ag Day is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country.

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.

Source: Scott Heiberger, U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers