It can be difficult to keep track of all the national holidays. At one point in time, I kept a website pulled up on my phone that listed every national holiday, and I used it as a conversation piece of sorts. I’d randomly throw out, “Did you know it’s National Chocolate Cake Day?” or something like that during a totally unrelated conversation.

However, one national holiday that everyone from all backgrounds should commit to memory is National Ag Day. This day falls on March 19 this year, and it’s an opportunity to recognize and appreciate the work that farmers and ag professionals carry out 365 days every year.

Take time to reflect

What does National Ag Day mean to you? For me, it’s a time to think about changes in agriculture and consider new ways to adapt as we move forward. It’s also a chance to put together a fun social media post where I can round up my pictures from around the farm over the past year.

On a more serious note, it is so much more than that. Take the time to reflect on the work that your operation has completed over the past year. Think about how many lives you’ve touched and all the places your product has traveled.

It’s also a chance to think about the year ahead. Perhaps now is the time to set goals for the rest of the year, if they have not yet been established. Consider how you may use your position in the agriculture industry to educate those who have an “outside looking in” perspective.

Growing a climate for tomorrow

The theme for National Ag Day this year is Growing a Climate for Tomorrow. To me, this means taking every opportunity to educate younger generations about the importance of agriculture. In turn, this will create a sustainable climate where the up-and-coming generations understand just how significant the ag industry is.

“Sustainability” seems to be a buzzword, but it summons a wide variety of definitions for those in our industry. National Ag Day can provide a setting to consider what that word means in your operation. Denise Scarborough, La Crosse, Ind., sees sustainability being the means for passing the farm on to the next generation.

“On our farm, what we try to do with sustainability is to be able to make it better for the next generation,” Scarborough says. “We’re the third generation on our farm raising the fourth generation, and what we try to do every day is make it a little bit better. So, if the next generation wants to come back, we’re leaving it in better hands for them.”

My definition falls along those lines as well. On this National Ag Day, I think it will be important to consider how sustainability fits into your operation and set goals for growing tomorrow’s climate.

To learn more about what National Ag Day means to the Farm Progress family, visit the National Ag Day blog.