Recent world events and weather trends have both focused attention on how important agriculture, the production of our food and fiber, is to each one of us. We depend on the crops grown in farm fields to make our bread and feed our livestock. We eat the fruits and vegetables raised on large farms and from our local producers. Farm fields grow the renewable fuels we use in our cars and trucks. Grazing land nourishes the livestock that provides food and fiber for the world’s population.
The horrible events in Ukraine bring to light how important it is to carefully and conscientiously nurture farmland to produce our food and fiber. The disruption of fertilizer and input supplies coupled with the lock down of exports of grains and oilseeds from the war region has already put stress on the global food supply which especially threatens the well-being of those living in some disadvantaged countries.
Weather trends, whether short-term droughts or longer-term water shortages, also point to the importance of taking care of the productive land and resources we have in the world. Proper agronomic practices and good conservation measures are both good for optimizing production while preserving the environment and land.
The United States is fortunate to have some of the best soils in the world, the best farmers, the farm to table infrastructure, and the best technology available to wisely and efficiently use our agricultural land in this country to feed us and others in the world. The importance of agriculture and the land we depend on is becoming ever more evident to each person around the world as events and trends transpire at an ever faster speed.
