Yeah I think it’s THAT big of an event and I want to get everyone involved.

March 8th is National Ag Day in America. A day set aside to celebrate the contributions and abundance of the agriculture community around us. This also begins the 3rd year behind my Agriculture Proud efforts. In 2010, I wrote a simple blog post describing why I am Proud to be a part of Agriculture. Due to the response to that post and need to share this story with others I have been blogging under the “Agriculture Proud” name ever since.

Learn more about AgDay and their goals on the website. Their core values stick out to me and I thought them worth a share. 1) Understand how food and fiber products are produced. 2) Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products. 3) Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy. 4) Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.

This year I want to invite the agriculture community to join me during the month of March in sharing this message by telling why you are proud to be a part of agriculture. I will host 30 guest posts on my blog from members of the community in different parts of agriculture. I hope to share with my audience the diversity of agriculture and emphasize how agriculture surrounds our daily lives. My intentions are not to be derogatory toward any sector of agriculture during this series; but rather inclusive.

I am asking you to share why you are proud to be a part of your portion of agriculture. Whether you are a cattle rancher, hog farmer, researcher, educator, consumer, organic/natural producer, service/support provider, or retailer, I want to hear why you are proud to do your part in producing a safe, abundant, diverse food supply.

I ask that your guest post include these parts:

  • Please shoot for close to 300 words describing why you are proud to be a part of agriculture. Focus on your specific sector. If a crop farmer, talk about producing soybeans or corn. If a promoter/service provider, talk about your work with the agriculture community. If a cattle farmer, describe your breed of cattle, how production in your region is unique. If a consumer, talk about how you learn about food production and how you make your purchasing choices.
  • Include at least 2 photos of you, your family or operation
  • Include any links to your farm/business website, blog, or social media contacts
  • Email posts and files to agricultureproud@hotmail.com with the subject-line “AgProud Series”

Feel free to share your post on your personal blog, I just ask that you link to my blog series. Blogs will be posted in the order of submission.

I reserve the right to edit submissions for grammatical errors or demeaning statements toward other parts of agriculture.

The series will run from March 1-30, and if more guest posts are submitted, they will be included in summary posts. I do appreciate your sharing my blog posts with your friends and followers throughout the month.

This is a large effort and I need the contributions of the agriculture community to make it successful. Please return your contributions in a timely manner and forward this to anyone you think can make a great contribution. I am looking to include many sectors of agriculture.

Thank you for your time and effort. If you cannot contribute to this series, please forward onto someone who you think might.

Don’t forget to enter your photos in the AgProud Photo Contest. The top 5 photos will be shown next Monday and you can vote on your favorite. The winning photo will be used to highlight the series during the entire month of March!

Published by Ryan Goodman

Ryan Goodman works in grassroots advocacy as a communications consultant with beef cattle farmers and ranchers across the United States. He is a proud alumnus of Oklahoma State University, with studies focusing on cattle reproduction and nutrition. Ryan's experience in the beef industry range from family farms and ranches in several states to large feedlots and non-profit policy organizations. Ryan is an avid trail and ultrarunner, proudly showing how beef can be an important part of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. Find Ryan on social media as @BeefRunner.