WASHINGTON, D.C. – To celebrate the 50th National Ag Day on March 21, the Ohio Farm Bureau will create a video for social media highlighting the diversity of agriculture in the state.

In Indiana, the Howard County Farm Bureau will host 5th grade students for a “From Farm to Pizza” field trip to the county fairgrounds on March 22. The event is designed to educate students about farm equipment and animals, and provide teachers with agriculture-related resources.

Statewide, the Indiana Farm Bureau (INFB) was scheduled to host an Ag Breakfast for legislators at the Statehouse on March 16. The breakfast was an opportunity for farm bureau to thank legislators and talk about issues important to agriculture, said Isabella Chism, INFB’s second vice president.

The Agriculture Council of America, which founded National Ag Day in 1973, considers next week to be National Ag Week, noted Chism, a member of the council’s board of directors.

The goal of the day and the week is to plan events that draw attention from the non-agriculture world, she said.

“We live agriculture 365 days of the year, but we celebrate it once a year,” Chism explained. “We live it everyday. It’s important to take the farm to the non-agricultural sector. We say we invite people to the farm but how many could actually do that?

“All of us farm families growing food, fiber and fuel that live on this land, for us, it’s our business, our livelihood, our passion. We’re not going to over spend and over apply the plant protection. We’re not going to damage the land because we depend on it.”

Nationally, the day will be celebrated with a virtual program and in-person events in Washington, D.C.

National Ag Day was founded “as a means of increasing public awareness about agriculture,” said Amy Bradford, chair of the National Ag Day committee. “There was a feeling among the whole of agriculture that there should be a certain day to be able to recognize and celebrate all that agriculture does.”

Educating consumers about where their food comes from is also a priority for the day, said Bradford, corporate communications manager for Growmark, Inc.

“That is one of the things we strive to do,” she explained. “The last three years, with COVID, there’s been more of a desire to understand that. But it still takes things like this to put it on their radar. In general as a group, consumers are not questioning where their food comes from. Some think it comes from a grocery store.”

Ohio Farm Bureau will use social media to promote the state’s agricultural diversity on National Ag Day, said Ty Higgins, the organization’s senior director of communications and media relations.

“There’s so much variety in the state,” he said. “In addition to corn, soybeans and wheat, we have apples, peaches, table and wine grapes, other fruits and vegetables like berries, tomatoes, hops for beer. The video we’re putting together will highlight our members and the products they grow.

“Go to a farmers’ market in Ohio and you’ll find a better selection than at most grocery stores. That food doesn’t just show up there. There are people behind the scenes that make it happen. Here’s our opportunity to highlight how we have the most abundant, safest food supply in the world. Ag Day is a chance to celebrate agriculture and educate people who aren’t involved in agriculture about where their food comes from.”

Agriculture is Ohio’s leading industry, Higgins said. One in eight jobs in the state is tied to agriculture.

Chism said the more conversations farmers have with the non-farming public, the better.

“People go to the store to get their groceries, and they have no concept (of where the food comes from),” she stated. “They don’t know what they don’t know.”

It’s important to realize the role agriculture plays in the economy, Chism said. Agriculture contributes an estimated $35.1 billion to Indiana’s economy. The Hoosier state is the 8th largest agricultural exporter in the nation, and also the 8th largest farming state, she said.

The national virtual event for Ag Day will begin at 9:30 a.m. eastern and last about an hour. Representatives from such companies as Growmark, CHS Inc., John Deere and Corteva will discuss initiatives within their businesses to help farmers in growing a climate for tomorrow, the theme of this year’s Ag Day.

During the virtual presentation, the national essay contest winner will be introduced. A segment on helping members in such organizations as FFA and 4-H become more effective advocates will be a part of the event.

Two in-person events are scheduled for the day. At 10:30 a.m. eastern, an Ag Day proclamation celebration will be at the USDA’s Whitten Patio. At 5:30 p.m. eastern in the Library of Congress Montpelier Room, a Taste of Ag Reception is planned.

The virtual and in-person events are free, but registration is requested.

For more information, visit www.agday.org. To register, click on “2023 events.” The site also includes resources for teachers.

Agriculture has changed over the 50 years of National Ag Day, Bradford said.

“There are all kinds of new things we can educate the public about,” she pointed out. “The wise use of plant nutrients and protections. Technology is another. Some of the new technologies from drone imagery to automated tractors. There’s also a labor shortage in agriculture. That technology is replacing what used to be people in the fields.

“National Ag Day has a long history of recognizing contributions of agriculture in our culture,” Bradford said. “It has kept consumers updated on what farmers do every day to give us a stable food supply, fuel and fiber.”