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Vol. 153 Issue No. 5

Editor: Mindy Wardmward@FarmProgress.com21680 Smith Creek Road, Marthasville,MO 63357 Phone: 636-932-4664

Contributing Editors: Tom J. Bechman, Paul Burgener, Josh Flint, P.J. Griekspoor, Tyler Harris, Alan Newport, John Otte and Lon Tonneson

POSTMASTER: Please send address corrections to Missouri Ruralist, 255 38th Ave., Suite P, St. Charles, IL 60174-5410

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Executive Editor: Frank HoldmeyerFarm Progress Editorial Director: Willie Vogt651-454-6994 wvogt@FarmProgress.comSales: 319-377-3080Subscription Questions: 800-441-1410

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MY youngest daughter, who is a junior in high school, recently gave a speech

on antibiotic use in livestock. She told the story that while researching the topic, a school classmate said to her that antibi-otics should never be used in ani-mals. She then asked the young man, “What am I supposed to do if I have a lamb that is sick?” He responded, “Let it die.”

In our conversation after the incident, and later in her speech, she admitted knowing that antibiotic use in livestock was a controversial subject.

However, she said, “I just didn’t know individuals were forming opinions at such an early age — my age.”

Our agricultural youth will be questioned not only on what they do on the farm, but also their be-liefs about their chosen lifestyle. So, this year for the Larry Harper FFA Young Writers Contest, we asked FFA members across the state, “What are ways that you can be an advocate for agriculture in your community?”

Harper was a strong FFA sup-porter. He often challenged young people to discuss important ag

issues of the day. The late Harper served as editor of Missouri Ruralist from 1976 to 1999.

Missouri Ruralist announced the winning essay April 19 at the 2013 Missouri FFA Convention in Columbia. The top essay was from Grant Dixon Talburt of the Dora FFA Chapter. Earning second place was Brooklyn Stoll of the Jefferson FFA Chapter. Third place went to Nick Simmons of the Fairfax FFA Chapter. Thank you to all the members who sub-mitted an essay, and keep advo-cating for agriculture.

— Mindy Ward

By GRANT DIXON TALBURT

FOR many people that live in the high-populated areas, they

may not know the benefi ts of agriculture, or where their food, clothes, and many cos-metics come from. With less than two percent of Americans involved in agriculture produc-tion and with most families being two or three generations removed from the farm, the knowledge of agriculture is starting to slip from the grasp of many Americans. The tradition and acknowledgement of the hard, backbreaking work that our country was founded on is starting to be forgotten. How do we put this knowledge base into

common experience of Ameri-can’s? How do we advocate for

something that is becoming unfamiliar to many?

One way we can advocate for the cause of agriculture is

through everyday contact with people. We meet new people almost every day.

So, when people ask you a question about agriculture, just tell them about your personal experience. Tell them about your Supervised Agriculture Experience or the farm you op-erate. Explain how farmer’s mar-kets operate and the benefi ts of buying from a farmer’s market. Explain local fairs and their advan-tages. Tell the questioner how you live your everyday life; advocate agriculture by you just being you.

Just like you’d talk to a friend, you can advocate for agriculture by building relations.

The second way that we can advocate for agriculture is through social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Blogs are becoming the new source of communica-tion in today’s day and age. How can we make our discussion “pop out” compared to other topics on the web? One of the ways that we can do this is have targeted and strategic messages to fi t the au-diences that you try to reach. If your message is for youth, then you probably need a message that is popular and upbeat. If you target older adults, then your message needs to be thorough, and full of information. But most importantly you need to be posi-

tive and consistent in your mes-sages. Confl icting messages raise questions and don’t necessarily help your cause. Radio and TV broadcasts are great ways to ad-vocate for local agriculture. You can advertise local sales, fairs, and conduct public service an-nouncements informing agricul-ture topics. With media, you can reach a broad array of people with many different backgrounds.

Finally, you can host meetings and advocate agriculture during public gatherings. FFA, 4-H, Farm Bureau and town hall meetings are great places to speak out for your local agriculture. Many people meet during these meetings and listen to what you have to say. Hosting meetings or conventions is another great way to spread the

message about local agriculture. Invite locals to the meetings to discuss about fairs, farmers mar-kets, cattle prices and ways to get the youth more involved in agri-culture. Lastly, you can operate booths at local fairs and parades, people walking by your booth take notice in what you stand for and inquiring minds will ask questions. You can even sport a fl oat with ag-riculture scenes in the parade.

There are many ways that a person can advocate for agricul-ture, from meetings and gather-ings, to social media, to personal contact and sharing experiences. Using these techniques one can inform people about regional ag-riculture, and reach the ones that have forgotten the importance of agriculture.

an advocate for agriculture.One way to speak out for

agriculture is to be an active member of Missouri schools’ FFA chapters. The organiza-

tion’s meetings, projects, seminars, contests and workshops are great ways for members to share, as

well as gain, knowledge. FFA en-ables its students to discuss cur-rent and past topics. Members and advisors express viewpoints about what agriculture has done and the current direction agricul-ture-related topics are heading. Community parades and social functions are great places for sharing FFA projects, displays and presentations.

A second way to promote agriculture in the community would be to read up-to-date publications, articles and books, as well as those written not so recently. Gaining knowledge about the agriculture industry and its history is important so that accurate information can

By BROOKLYN STOLL

EVERY farmer pro-duces enough food to feed ap-

proximately 200 people per year. This quantity con-tinues climbing because the number of farmers is declining. Yet, the number of consumers is, in fact, growing. With a scenario such as this, fewer Americans have direct connections to the agriculture industry. Therefore, it is impor-tant for those who know the ag-riculture story to be forerunners in sharing their knowledge of the farming lifestyle.

I consider myself to be among the lucky Missourians raised on a family farm. My parents were raised on a family farm, as were their parents and grandparents. Family dinners rarely occur without mention of current ag-related topics. Growing up with rural farming surroundings has given me ideas about how to be

then be shared through conver-sations and publications. An “Ag Night” could be sponsored by the local FFA chapter a couple times a year. This would be an opportunity for students to share the knowledge they have acquired, and receive feedback from the community. Ideally, this could lead to enhancement

projects of some sorts.Speaking to younger students

about the history and relevancy of farming in their lives is a good way to advocate agriculture. Of course, there is always Farm Safety Week, the perfect time to arrange for presentations in the elementary classroom. I plan to become more involved in activi-

ties such as these so that I can truly say I am an advocate for ag-riculture in my community.

Today’s generation needs to spread the word of agriculture. We are the future of farming. Standing out and stepping for-ward has never been more impor-tant. Be bold and make your voice be heard. Be an ag-vocate.

B GRANT DIXON

Advocating for agriculture

Ag-vocate

Best of Larry Harper FFA Young Writers

TALENTED TRIO: Brooklyn Stoll (from left), Grant Talburt and Nick Simmons penned the top three essays in this year’s Larry Harper contest.

Missouri Ruralist www.FarmProgress.com – May 2013 5

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