Welcome to Ag Week and the ZimmCast. This week we’re all about celebrating American agriculture and thanking our farmers and ranchers who feed and fuel the world.
In this week’s program I spoke with Greg Webb, ADM, who is currently Chairman of the Agriculture Council of America. He says the purpose of this week and National Agriculture Day on March 20 is to raise awareness of the role that agriculture plays in our economy and it’s indirect impact on our lives through food, fuel and fiber. Although he says we’ve only got just over 2 million farmers, they’re each feeding almost 150 other people and when you look at all the people working directly in ag, including outside of production, there are over 20 million people involved.
Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution. This is particularly the case in our schools, where students may only be exposed to agriculture if they enroll in related vocational training.
By building awareness, the Agriculture Council of America is encouraging young people to consider career opportunities in agriculture.
Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people … a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more – and doing it better. As the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States.
You can download and listen to the ZimmCast here: 
ZimmCast 212 (9 min MP3)
Or listen to this week’s ZimmCast right now:Interview with Greg Webb - ZimmCast 212
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