Editors' Notebook

The official start of spring means many things to those of us in agriculture. Among those is National Ag Day, which this year is March 21.

DTN and Progressive Farmer Magazine have long been supporters of this celebration of farmers, farming, and all things agriculture. So, we're excited to again be a part of the official Ag Day promotions in 2023.

This year's theme, Agriculture: Growing a Climate for Tomorrow, is a continuation of the Ag Day festivities from 2022.

The phrase continues to resonate on so many levels. For one, organized agriculture has since its inception been the driving force behind civilization and technical advancement.

From the first wooden plowshare, to a young Henry Ford's goal to harness the internal combustion engine into an inexpensive tool all farmers could attain, to the way our need to monitor global crops has driven satellite sensing innovation, agriculture has both grown innovation outright and created an environment for additional growth.

The phrase also addresses ag's ability, some would say responsibility, to be part of the effort to create the atmospheric conditions that ensure human civilization's ability to inhabit this planet. Collectively, our farms and ranches literally have the power to influence Earth's climate. We're seeing that happen real time as farmers and agribusinesses work to sequester carbon through new cropping systems, reduce our overall carbon footprint through smart use of fertilizers, fuels and other inputs. We're taking animal methane, which traditionally floats off into the atmosphere, and turning it directly into energy that can be used on farms and elsewhere, both reducing the need for fossil fuels and keeping cash in the farmer's pocket.

The industry is of course doing these things every day, and many of you out there are telling that story again and again. But it doesn't hurt to choose a day to unite and call even more attention to the gifts agriculture gives to the world. That such a day is at the dawn of spring, as the Northern Hemisphere begins its annual rebirth, is not by accident.

To learn more about Ag Day activities, go to https://www.agday.org/…. There's a list of all the official events, and links to the virtual presentations that will be running during the day. There are also materials and other resources for anyone wanting to hold Ag Day events of their own.

To learn more about what DTN and Progressive Farmer are doing to celebrate this day, check our web and satellite platforms, and "like" our Facebook page for regular updates. It's at https://www.facebook.com/….

I hope you'll participate in the day's events as you can. At the very least, I hope you'll take a moment to think about your place in America's agriculture efforts, take pride in that place, and say thanks to all the others who make this industry what it is today, and will be tomorrow.

Happy Ag Day!

Greg D. Horstmeier can be reached at greg.horstmeier@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @greghorstmeier

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