Editor’s Note: The piece is from American Agri-Women.
To a farmer and a rancher, Earth Day is every day. From sun up to sunset, sometimes through the night, we take care of the land and the animals we raise. Countless amounts of crops and animals line the nation creating a food web and the life cycle. Plants and animals working together with the sun, rain, wind, and anything Mother Nature has in store.
From a small seed to the field of green lush grasses and forbs, it provides nourishment for grazing animals and wildlife we share the land with. In turn, these animals provide us with not only food, but a supply of by-products such as milk, medicine, fertilizer, textiles, and many things in between. Animals’ grazing keeps the land in continuous growth; all the while the green plants are removing CO2 from the atmosphere and converting it to Oxygen to which in turn the animals are fertilizing the plants to keep them healthy and growing. As our crops grow, they take solar energy and convert a tiny seed into a product that can feed millions of people and provide limitless meal options for all kinds of people, all over the globe.
Crops and livestock are not the only things in agriculture making a positive impact on the environment. Technology in the equipment operated on the farms has grown exponentially, making the earth a better place. Emissions on tractors are putting cleaner air back into the environment than what they are taking in. The precision application of our fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicides is making for safer waterways and less waste of product. Seed placement and harvesting technology are allowing fewer trips over the fields reducing fuel use, time, and costs.
Farmers are also about family. Increasing our efficiency and productivity allows more time with family and engaging with those we feed and those who write our laws. Farming isn’t just about what is done on the farm, but about investing in the future. The future of our land, our animals, our families, and our humanity.
American Agri-Women recognizes that each day, especially on Earth Day, everyone needs agriculture — now more than ever during these trying times.
