Connecting to Ag is More Important than Ever

You’ve probably heard at some point a statement similar to the following:

“Less than 2% of the population is directly involved in agriculture” or “a very small percentage of the population has a direct tie to agriculture.”  These are common statements when discussing the importance of agriculture 和 agricultural education.  In the last week or so however, I have read a statement in two different articles that made me pause…the majority of people in rural areas are 2-3 generations removed from the farm.

是的, 你没看错, a large portion of people living in rural areas are 2-3 generations removed from the farm.  When we talk about the population as a whole, or those living in urban areas that is easy to underst和, but when talking about rural areas specifically?  I have to admit that number surprised me more than a little bit.  It is easy to assume that for those living in rural areas, the exposure to agriculture is greater, 和 the opportunities to be involved in agriculture are much more available…but the truth of the matter is, 全国各地的人们, 在农村和城市地区, are becoming more removed from an underst和ing of the day to day joys, struggles 和 experiences of farming.

为什么这很重要??  为什么要提这个?  Because we also live in a time when consumer dem和 is driving food trends more than ever, when people are paying attention to the food that they buy, 和 when the first place people go for information is largely social media 和 the internet.  We live in a time when a simple Google search on a given topic pulls up a ton of information – but weeding through what is true, what is misconstrued 和 what is flat out wrong can be difficult 和 time consuming – 和 time is a precious commodity for many people.

The fact that almost everyone is at least 2-3 generations removed from the farm (often more in more urban areas) means that it is more important than ever for those involved in agriculture to be proactive in telling their story 和 sharing what they do, 他们是如何做到的，为什么.  Those who are still involved in farming need to be willing to visit with those who do not have a connection to agriculture 和 listen to their concerns, 分享信息, 用开放的心态去交流.  It is incredibly important for consumers to connect with farmers, to visit with someone who knows about agriculture 和 farming from a firsth和 perspective, who can put a face 和 a personal connection with the food that they eat.  It is equally important for farmers to listen to those consumers with an open mind, to underst和 that they have legitimate concerns 和 are overwhelmed with the mixed information they are receiving, 和 be willing to give honest answers to even the hard questions.

With less than 2% of our population directly involved in agriculture, bringing agriculture to the population has become a challenge – 和 both consumer 和 farmer need to actively participate in connecting.  The 知识中心 strives to be a resource for both farmers 和 for ag consumers.  体育彩票外围平台的 脸谱网页面 is a platform where we strive to do just that!  脸谱网 is where we share learning opportunities hosted by ourselves 和 others. Learning opportunities are open to the general consumer 和 we encourage you to participate.  We also work to share reliable information about agriculture from both the farmer’s 和 consumer’s perspective.  This means you can count on us as a place to find trustworthy content.  We encourage you to engage in the conversation 和 to ask those questions you may have about agriculture.

Strive to become better connected to the industry we all love!  We encourage farmers to utilize the 知识中心 as a way to share your story, 和 we encourage ag consumers to get involved in learning about the ag industry.  The 知识中心 is a place where farmers are connected to consumers 和 consumers are connected to farmers!

Along with our 脸谱网页面, engage with us on Pinterest 和 Instagram.  Browse the many resources 和 infographics on our 网站.

Download a PDF version of the infographic.