Today is Blog Action Day. The topic is “The Power of We.” I am going to take that to mean the power of the agricultural community. It is made up of all the farmers who grow the crops and raise the livestock we need to feed ourselves. It is also made up of everyone else in the food chain from agribusiness companies and processors to transportation and grocery stores and restaurants. That’s a big community with a lot of Power of We!

It’s also a very diverse community that includes what a lot of people refer to as conventional farmers and those who specialize in organic farming of different types. All of them share common concerns and challenges. All of them want and need to help the non-farm community understand where the food is coming from. That’s where organizations like the AgChat Foundation, USFRA and National Ag Day are playing a role today and there are many more.

I’m writing this in the hopes of continuing to urge and encourage farmers to join the online conversation. So many of you already are. We’re going to see communications technology continue to change as new mobile devices allow us to be constantly in touch. Let’s use that technology to help everyone understand that today’s farmers love and care for their land, for their animals and want to do all they can to become more productive while maintaining a sustainable business.

Feel free to chime in with your thoughts as Blog Action Day develops today. Thank you.