Opening my hometown paper--Warren County Record--I was surprised to see an insert devoted to agriculture. Now, my local paper does a great job of covering all county board meetings, city council hearings, sports, school events and even some agriculture, but this week there was an entire 12 pages devoted to all things farming.

EXTRA! EXTRA!: Local newspaper team up with Missouri Farm Bureau to tell agriculture story. Doesn't the state map look great with all of those agriculture commodities?

Sponsored by the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Press Foundation "Agriculture is everywhere!" made it into homes and business across the state. The insert was part of Missouri Farm Bureau's "Thank a Farmer Week," Feb. 7-13, according to Diane Olson, MFB director of promotion and education. She says the insert was an opportunity to take the story of agriculture local.

The message is "agriculture is the business, science and practices of growing and selling plants and animals to be used for food, fiber and fuel." Inside pages are filled with topics on soil, erosion, water, and production agriculture. Readers can learn about Missouri commodities like corn, soybeans, cotton and rice. They find out one bale of cotton can make 215 pairs of jeans, 4,321 mid-calf socks and 313,600 $10 bills.

There is information regarding animal agriculture including cattle-beef and dairy--swine, chickens, horses and sheep. "Fun Facts!" like pigs will not over eat and will sweat through their noses are informative and amusing.

Individuals can even learn about specialty agriculture like fruits, bees, farmers markets and forests.

However, my favorite section is the centerfold. Here readers can see how agriculture is, in fact, everywhere through a 2-page spread of a map of Missouri.

FROM FARM TO MAILBOX: Twelve pages of nothing but Missouri agriculture information appeared in local newspapers across the state. It was part of a week-long "Thank a Farmer" celebration.

The state map is separated by county. Then pictures is placed in each county representing the primary commodity that area. It is a great way to inform readers about what is grown by not only area farmers, but also farmers across the state.

The centerfold adds facts like:

-There are more than 99,000 farms in Missouri.

-An average Missouri farm is 285 acres.

-Missouri ranks 2nd only behind Texas in the number of farms.

-Missouri poultry lay more than 2.67 billion eggs a year.

While the insert is designed for students Grades 2-5, it is an interesting read for anyone who picks up the paper. I hope that small-town newspaper readers will take the time to sit down with their families, perhaps over dinner, and read about Missouri agriculture. To add a bit of entertainment, consider using the "Fun Facts!" as a quiz game. There is no better way to "Thank a Farmer" than by learning about what farmers do every day to produce food, fuel and fiber.