If you do even a fair bit of traveling on the highways and byways, it’s likely you’ve seen some pro-agriculture stickers on the back bumpers of vehicles in front of you. You know the kind. “Enjoy eating? Thank a farmer.” “No farming = No food.” “God made farmers to feed the world.”[emember_protected custom_msg=”Click here and register now to read the rest of the article!”]
If you appreciate farming, farmers and agriculture and want to lend your support — if you want to help counter the often-negative portrayals of agriculture in the mainstream media— you can always plant an ag-friendly sticker on your own back bumper. But, there’s another way— a more personal, hands-on, and rewarding way— to say “I (heart) my farmer.” That would be volunteering for agriculture.
How can you do that? For industry insiders and caring outsiders, there are several ways:
- If you have children in the school system, suggest something ag-related as a subject for your child’s show-and-tell time; participate in any career days (usually at the high school level); or offer your farm or ag-centered business as a site for field trips.
- Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is April 29 next year. Get involved with it. It’s a reading event— with ag professionals leading the way— for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Next year’s featured book will be Florida Farms at School. For details about the program, go online to the Florida Agriculture Literacy Day website.
- Offer to sponsor or help out with your county’s annual Youth Fair, which usually is dominated by agriculture-related shows, displays, and competitions.
- Get involved with a local 4-H club, middle school or high school Future Farmers of America program or ag career academy, such as the new Agri-Business and Sciences Academy at Winter Haven High School.
- Make your citrus, livestock, vegetable-growing, harvesting, fertilizer or any other ag-related business more visible publicly with sponsorship of major community events.
Volunteering is good for agriculture, and likely you’ll find it’s good for you, too.
