During National Ag Day activities I visited with some big time supporters who are urging other companies and organizations to get involved. I’m going to share their thoughts with you here starting with Barry Nelson, John Deere, who is serving as Secretary/Treasurer for the Agriculture Council of America (pictured center). John Deere is one of the partner sponsors of Ag Day. Barry says they’ve been having Ag Day activities in Washington, DC since 1973 and have developed a pretty good brand. He says the job of the board of ACA is to plan what they’re going to do for the next Ag Day. In addition to the events in Washington, DC they also supply materials and support for other Ag Day events around the country via the website. He also makes a point that this is one day out of the year when everyone can get together to support the industry even if their competitors.

You can listen to my interview with Barry here: Barry Nelson Interview

Also serving on the board of the Agriculture Council of America is Kent Schescke, National FFA. He says that FFA has been involved for years as a sponsor and by having students participate as student advocates. They spent Monday at the 4H Center getting some preparation for visiting with legislators to talk about agriculture. He says that building good leadership skills goes hand in hand with good advocacy skills.

You can listen to my interview with Kent here: Kent Schescke Interview

The newest member of the board of the Agriculture Council of America is Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (pictured on the right). Colin says there are two things that really prompted NCBA to become involved as a sponsor of Ag Day. One is the ability to use Ag Day as a mechanism to reconnect with the American consumer. The second thing is getting young people involved and Ag Day spends a lot of time getting that done. He says that these things are extremely important. Like Barry and Kent, he encourages more companies and organizations to get involved.

You can listen to my interview with Colin here: Colin Woodall Interview

Another board member of the Agriculture Council of America is Tamara Freund Kass, DTN/The Progressive Farmer. The company is also a partner sponsor of Ag Day. Tamara says she got nominated to the board by Barry. She says the board had a great meeting prior to the banquet and discussed how they can continue to get more people involved in Ag Day. She also makes a point of how this celebration of agriculture is an opportunity for varied industry interests to come together in a united way.

You can listen to my interview with Tamara here: Tamara Freund Kass Interview

2011 National Ag Day Photo Album

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