For those who somehow missed it, the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl, Brother John Harbaugh bested brother Jim Harbaugh, and Dodge Ram trucks possibly knocked the Budweiser Clydesdales out of the best ad spot with a heart-tugging two minute spot that gave more than 100 million viewers worldwide a glimpse at what it takes to be an American farmer.

For those who didn’t see the And God Made a Farmer ad, this link should get you there — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sillEgUHGC4.

Case IH, Dodge Ram Trucks and a few other collaborators kicked off The Year of the Farmer with the moving Super Bowl ad that simply stole the show.

This year’s audience, estimated at 111 million viewers, lit up blogs, Facebook and twitter with high praise for the ‘farmers’. With 30 second ads selling for $3.8 million, the price was steep, but the recognition was worth the cost.

For more than 170 years, Case IH has recognized the important role farmers play in providing safe, quality food and fiber for people around the world. Now Case IH is teaming up with sister company, Ram Trucks, in a campaign that declares 2013 “The Year of the Farmer.”

In the moving Ram Trucks spot which aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday, viewers were invited to visit http://www.RamTrucks.com/KeepPlowing for an opportunity to benefit the FFA. As part of the effort, Case IH is doing their part to bring that message to agriculture.

“Case IH is powered by a steadfast commitment to making farmers more successful,” says Kyle Russell, Case IH Senior Director of Marketing. “Now, we’re pleased to collaborate on this exciting program that salutes the role of farmers throughout history, and also supports farmers of the future with its connection to FFA.

“Ram Trucks has made this generous offer to donate to the FFA every time someone shares ‘The Year of the Farmer’ video and we want to make sure all of agriculture knows they have the opportunity to influence this donation.”

The two-minute Ram Trucks spot features “So God made a farmer” presented by legendary broadcaster Paul Harvey at the 1978 National FFA Convention. The spot launched a year-long, multi-tiered initiative dedicated to highlighting and underscoring the importance of farmers in America.

FFA is way of life for many rural kids, and the organization has faced troubled times in recent years, especially in terms of sustainable funding for the organization.

The organization was founded in 1928 as Future Farmers of America, but in 1988 the name was changed to the National FFA Organization, now commonly referred to as simply FFA, to recognize that the organization is for those with diverse interests in the food, fiber and natural resource industries, encompassing science, business and technology in addition to production agriculture.

Today FFA is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 540,000 members in 7,439 chapters, located in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. FFA is the largest of the career and technical student organizations in US schools.

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