Guest Column

Remember to celebrate American agriculture

By Klodette Stroh
Posted 3/21/23

National Ag Day is celebrating 50 years on March 21, 2023. It’s a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture.

Evolution and progress have carried American …

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Guest Column

Remember to celebrate American agriculture

Posted

National Ag Day is celebrating 50 years on March 21, 2023. It’s a day to recognize and celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture.

Evolution and progress have carried American agriculture into a new era since the first Ag Day was celebrated in 1973. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

The world’s population will reach 9 billion by 2050. There will be millions of new mouths to feed, many of whom rely on United States’ food production. According to the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), one-fourth of the world’s beef and nearly one-fifth of the world’s grain, milk and eggs are produced by American farmers.  

One farmer produces enough food for 165 people. In these difficult economic times, U.S. agriculture has had a positive balance in exports. On Feb 10, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that, “The American agricultural sector posted its best export year ever in 2022 with international sales of U.S. farm and food products reaching $196 billion.”

As farmers, my husband Rick and I are always eager to keep up with new techniques to improve our farming practices. Using modern technology has boosted our crop yields and has reduced waste. Farmers use satellite maps and computers to match seed, fertilizer and crop protection applications to local soil conditions. Sophisticated Global Positioning Systems (GPS) can be specifically designed for spraying herbicides and pesticides.
Meanwhile, Roundup Ready sugar beet seed is a good example of biogenetic progress. Biogenetics is simply another technology that helps in crop production. This is a feature that is implanted directly into the seed to protect it against certain herbicides or pests. U.S. agriculture has been benefiting from this technology by having Roundup Ready corn, soybeans and, as we know, sugar beet seed.

The top commodities exported by the United States in 2022 were soybeans, corn, beef, dairy, cotton and tree nuts, which together comprised more than half of the country’s agricultural export value. The United States’ top 10 agricultural export markets were China, Mexico, Canada, Japan, the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Colombia and Vietnam.

Wyoming’s agricultural sector added $1.83 billion to our economy in 2019. Animals and animal products were valued at $1.13 billion, crops at $419 million, and farm-related incomes were $288 million. Corn, sugar beets, barley and dry beans were the largest crops raised.

Nationwide, Wyoming ranks No. 4 for sheep and lamb, No. 5 for the production of barley and pinto beans, and No. 9 for production of sugar beets. The largest federal irrigation project, the Shoshone Project, is located in Park County. My beloved Park County ranks No. 1 in production of sugar beets and barley, No. 2 in production of dry edible beans, No. 5 in corn production and No. 9 in all cattle among Wyoming’s 23 counties.
American agriculture is our nation’s most vital renewable industry. Every hour the U.S. exports $6 million worth of agricultural products. Give thought and praise for American farmers during National Ag Week. I pray and believe that agriculture is the industry that will help my beloved country recover from any trial ahead.

 

(Klodette Stroh and her husband Rick farm in rural Powell. She is the national sugar chairman of the Women Involved In Farm Economics.)

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