The annual National Ag Day Celebration of Agriculture Dinner took place at the USDA building this year and Orion Samuelson graced goers with his unforgettable voice and career-long commitment to agriculture. JB Penn, Chief Economist, John Deere was honored to serve as the evenings keynote speaker, but even more humbled to be introduced by an icon in American agriculture.

“We are hear today to celebrate the role our industry plays in our national life, in our society and in our economy. Agriculture is one of the great success stories in the development of our country,” said Penn. “We also have great challenges to overcome if we are to continue making the same contributions in the future as in the past.”

The above served as theme throughout Penn’s address. He hit on some high-level accomplishments throughout history and key challenges set before us. He said our careers in agriculture are a higher calling because we are blessed to be able to feed the world’s growing population. Yet, might be the challenge of all time.

Listen to Penn’s complete speech to learn about other elements of success and future issues we have yet to overcome. One of the greatest might be the consumers perception of agriculture. Keynote Address from JB Penn, John Deere

View and download photos here: National Ag Day Activities Photo Album