In celebration of National Ag Week I am reminded of the Thomas Jefferson quote. “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” Most of our ancestors were some sort of farmers. Today though, farmers make up less than 2% of the US population. Despite that, farms of today are producing significantly more grain, meat, eggs and milk than our ancestors would have ever thought possible!

The technology we have today allows us to be highly accurate with all of our crop inputs. Seed and fertilizer can be placed exactly where they need to be for optimal growth during the season. We are using cover crops to help build healthier soil. Farmers are using no till or strip till to reduce the amount of soil disturbance.

All this in an effort to be the best stewards of land and water we possibly can be.

I agree with Thomas Jefferson’s sentiment about agriculture being our wisest pursuit. Without good management of our most precious resources like soil and water, we become a society in decline. Farmers today are working to be conscious of our impacts on our environment. We eat the same food and drink the same water as our friends and family in town. As a farmer, I take my commitment to stewardship very seriously. I’m excited to see my children’s future benefit from the efforts we make today. We’re all in this together. During Ag week, consider all the effort going into growing the food we eat. Farmers aren’t looking for a “thank you”. Instead I would say we could use encouragement to stay the course. Keep looking for innovative ways to be sustainable while keeping food on the table. “Because in the end it will contribute most to real wealth, good morals and happiness.” Something all of us could use more of.