NAMA chapters celebrate AG Day.

This year many NAMA chapters held Ag Day events. Below is a brief description of some of those chapter programs.

Iowa NAMA

Eighty-five smiling, bright-eyed preschool and kindergarten children bounced onto Living History Farms on March 19, 2004, with 35 parent/teacher chaperones to learn about agriculture and celebrate many things we take for granted each day that are produced by America's farmers.

Cornbelt NAMA

On March 22, 2004, the Cornbelt NAMA Chapter joined forces with others in the industry to participate in the "Celebration of Agriculture" in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Close to 500 individuals attended this annual event in its 18th year.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Kenneth M. Quinn, President of The World Food Prize Foundation, shared his many experiences in agriculture as a former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.

North Central NAMA

North Central NAMA held a Celebration of Ag Week 2004 on March 18 at CHS. CHS President & CEO John Johnson and three producers addressed the North Central NAMA attendees. Johnson began with a presentation about how CHS engages a large producer panel in order to understand the needs of today's producers. Red River Farm Network broadcaster, Don Wick, moderated a producer panel that included an overview of each producer's operation, of industry trends and of the challenges these producers tackle.

MoKan NAMA

On March 10, Mo-Kan NAMA and 20 other organizations joined forces to celebrate Ag Day. More than 600 elementary school children and educators from across the Kansas City metropolitan area attended a pizza party at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kan.

In addition to stopping at learning stations spread throughout the center, children enjoyed magician Rex Getz and his "Magical World of Agriculture."

National Ag Day Program

This year's national Ag Day program featured a planning guide that was sent to organizations planning an event. The 2004 poster, entitled "A Celebration of Agriculture" featured ag photography of the Mountain West. This poster, sponsored by John Deere, is the second in a series that will depict agriculture around the U.S.

New to this year's program were the Ag Fact Cards, sponsored by CHS. These business-card size pieces featured three different messages about agriculture and can be ordered in packs of 50. To order posters or fact cards visit www.agday.org.