National Ag Day, celebrating 30 years.

Three times ten! Thirty! The age, that marks, for many, the start of our most productive years. The National Agriculture Day celebration is just entering its most productive time and will mark its 30th year on March 21, 2003. Producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America will gather to celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture on this first day of spring.

These celebrations take place in urban and rural environments, with adults as well as children, and take many forms. There are pizza parties, forums, awards programs, farm tours, and radio programs to name just a few. Why are these groups working together to bring awareness to agriculture on this national day of celebration? They support and value the common goals that the Agriculture Council of America, (ACA), is striving to accomplish through its coordination of National Agriculture Day. These goals are:

* Every American should understand how food and fiber products are produced.

* Every American should appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

* Every American should value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.

* Every American should acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.

We have heard, and most of us are living the fact, that fewer Americans are connected to production agriculture. It becomes very easy for the average American to dismiss, or not even consider, the importance of our food and fiber supply when it is never in question. Groups from every sector of the industry team together to educate and remind the general public on this day, that most of what we eat and wear on a daily basis is provided by American agriculture. We are all connected through this industry. Some of our population just doesn't know it.

This celebration provides the tools for a cohesive and united message about agriculture. So join this effort to promote American agriculture to everyone during National Agriculture Week, March 16-22, 2003. For more information contact the Agriculture Council at [phone].

The Agriculture Council of America supports and encourages programs and activities in observance of National Agriculture Day by organizations, companies and individuals. The ACA is a non-profit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community dedicated to increasing public awareness of agriculture's vital role in our society.