It is our job to educate the public.

We live in a truly amazing time, the technology that we have today would have been unbelievable fifty years ago. Technology has allowed American agriculture to increase efficiency and production without major increases in the amount of land that is needed for production. However, the technology that helped to increase production in agriculture has also helped certain groups put agriculture in a negative light. Organizations such as the HSUS and PETA are always looking for ways shed a bad light on agriculture, and through the easy access of biased articles on social media and other technology platforms it would appear as though there are more negative outlooks on agriculture than positive ones. Much of the information that these organizations release to the public is often not true and degrades all agriculture practices. For example there are numerous articles about GMO’s, growth hormones in meat, and the popular debate on organics. It would appear in urban areas there are numerous people who do not know the truth of agriculture production since they do not have a first hand experience.

With this in mind it is very important for any one involved in agriculture to represent the industry positively. Keep in mind; agriculture in the United States not only feeds our 330 million people, but most of the world as well. If presented with the opportunity to talk to someone who is not familiar with farming or ranching, take the opportunity and explain the processes to them so that they know that as agriculturalists we strive to treat our animals right and farm in such a way that we do not ruin the land. As farmers, ranchers, and agriculture scientists it is our job to educate the public on the facts of agriculture, and to promote our livelihoods.