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National Ag Day Brings Agriculture Closer to Home
MINNEAPOLIS- Few
consumers today can claim a
tie to a farming operation, but
they may be closer to
agriculture than they think.
That’s the assertion of the
Ag Council of America (ACA),
a group that coordinates
National Ag Day, which will be
held next Saturday, March 20.
“You don’t have to farm to
be involved in agriculture,”
said Eldon White, president of
ACA. ‘The chain of goods and
services connected with
agriculture stretches far and
w ide. You may work at a bank,
a manufacturing company or an
advertising agency in even the
most urban areas and still be
connected with agriculture.”
National Ag Day has been
held annually since 1973. It
was created to call attention to
the wide-ranging influence of
agriculture and demonstrate its
\alue to our society, said
White.
U.S. Rep. Larry Combest
(R-Texas), chairman of the
agriculture committee in the
House of Representatives, said
agriculture does not get much
attention in our society because
the reliability of our food and
fiber system is rarely in
question.
“Being dependable,
agriculture is taken for granted
by a large segment of our
population,” he pointed out.
To create awareness for
Caterpillar offers a line of seven different agricultural tractors and five
combines to the agricultural market for use in a variety of crops.
Profile Of The Farmer
• Nearly two million people farm or ranch in
'he United States. Almost 90 percent of U.S.
hums are operated by individuals or family
corporations More than 15 percent of the US.
population is employed in farm or farm-related
jobs, including production agriculture, farm
mputs, processing and marketing, and wholesale
Salutes The Farm Commumt
agriculture in 1999, the ACA
will conduct a campaign it calls
“America’s Largest Classroom
on Agriculture.”
This campaign explains the
role of agriculture to school
children, and the vision of this
campaign is to “reach
classrooms with exciting
materials that help students
learn about the vital role
agriculture plays,” said Joyce
Spicher, ACA chairperson.
In addition, numerous
activities will be held in
Washington, DC, to stress the
importance of “agricultural
literacy” in United States
schools.
A briefing will be held for
key congressional and federal
media secretaries prior to
National Ag Day, special
classroom activities will be
held in schools in the
Washington, DC, inner-city
school district, and a luncheon
will be held March 17 with US
Agriculture Secretary Dan
Glickman (invited) to discuss
the importance of National Ag
Day.
“Too often, the only time
agriculture makes the news s is
when there’s a food scare of
some sort,” says Spicher. “It
may be contamination, lost
crops or rising prices. But the
reality is that our nation has the
safest, most economical food
supply in the world.”
Yet, despite the reliability
and safety of our food supply,
and retail sales
• According to the 1992 Census of
Agriculture, 47 percent of the farmers were 55
years of age or older which was up only two
percent from 1987. During the same period,
there were two percent fewer farmers under the
(Continued on next page)
the industry continues to look
for ways to deliver an even
better product to consumers,
Spicher said.
For example, fanners and
ranchers are producing meat
lower in fat and cholesterol.
Beef today has 27 percent less
fat by the time it reaches the
grocery store than it did in
1985. Today’s fruits stay fresh
longer because of
advancements in research. And
resources are being used more
wisely through techniques such
as precision farming, which
utilizes satellite technology to
place fertilizer and chemicals
where they are needed and in
the amounts that are needed.
“While it is nice to be
dependable,” says Combest, “it
would be nicer to be known for
that dependability. That is
where National Ag Day begins,
appropriately on the first day of
spring, March 20. This is more
than the celebration of the hard
work of the men and women
involved in agriculture - it is an
education of sorts.
“The prior week, National
Ag Week, promotes America’s
Largest Classroom on
Agriculture. Recognizing
today’s students as tomorrow’s
consumers, the Agriculture
Council of America is
dedicated to teaching future
generations about the important
role agriculture plays in daily
life.”
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 13,1999 - Jt2s
Companies Share Ties
MINNEAPOLIS - Many of today’s largest companies owe at least
part of their bottom line to agriculture.
For example, Pfizer, which is in the headlines almost daily for
the product Viagara, also develops and markets pharmaceuticals for
livestock. Monsanto, which created products such as NutraSweet, is
one of the largest biotechnology • companies in agriculture. And
Caterpillar, better known for its mammoth construction and industrial
equipment, is a rising force in American agriculture, manufacturing
tractors, combines and other equipment that is used daily on
American farms.
Caterpillar Agricultural Products president Robert Strube, said
Caterpillar sees tremendous opportunities in agriculture, and it is
continually adding resources to meet the demands of this market. “In
the past year, we’ve added several new products to our lineup,
announced plans to construct a combine manufacturing facility near
Omaha, Nebraska, and we’ve broadened our agricultural equipment
manufacturing capabilities at our plant in DeKalb, Illinois.”
Strube said Caterpillar’s reputation for quality, strength and
durability in the construction and mining industry has translated well
in agriculture. “We became a leader by designing and manufacturing
equipment that retains value for the contractors who purchase them,”
he said. “Our agricultural equipment is the same way. We strive to
create equipment that brings the most value to the farmer and holds
this value through its lifetime ”
Caterpillar offers a line of seven different agricultural tractors
and five combines to the agricultural market for use m a variety of
crops. It also sells products such as skid steer loaders and
telehandlers, which are used around the farmyard for duties such as
cleaning barns and moving hay bales. In addition, Caterpillar diesel
engines provide power for farm equipment such as irrigation systems
and generators.
Strube said Caterpillar has introduced new technologies to
farming that allow farmers to do more with less, thus increasing
productivity and reducing costs.
Technology has been a primary reason agriculture has made
such huge strides in recent decades, said Eldon White, president of
the Agriculture Council of America. “Crop yields have risen,
allowing farmers to feed the world without increasing the amount ot
tilled acres,” he said. “In the end, it’s the consumer who benefits from
these changes, as food prices remain economical, while the quality
and variety of food products improve and grow ”
One innovation from Caterpillar is the use ot tracks rather than
wheels for moving across fields. “Track-type equipment is more fuel
efficient, it offers superior traction and it can get into fields even
when the soil is wet.” Strube said “It does this while compacting the
soil less than wheeled tractors. In the end, this allows farmers to get
more out ot their equipment and out ot each acre of land.”
Caterpillar also has taken its service models for industries such
as construction and mining and applied them to farming “We are
used to providing service m areas where it's not efficient to haul
equipment into the shop each time it needs servicing,” Strube said
“Caterpillar dealers go to the customer, rather than making the
customer come to them, saving the customer time and improving the
efficiency of the fanning operation ”
All of these changes at Caterpillar. Strube said, show that the
company views agriculture as an important part of its future
i