Next Time You Put Food In Your Mouth, Think About Farmers!

What do you think of when you see a farmer busy at work? Let me tell you, that guy's simply feeding the world.

He is! Farming not only supplies us with food, but it produces much more.

To make sure our young children are properly educated on this, there's some special events scheduled in the community.

American agriculture provides the necessities of everyday life: food, fiber, clothing, and now fuel.  That's the message that farmers will share with Brandon students to celebrate National Ag Week, which is March 24 through 28.

Dairy farmers Doug Ode, Brandon; and Gregg Ode, Brandon; will join pork producers Hannah Walkes, Brandon; and Bruce Burkhart, Dell Rapids; in visits with fourth graders at Brandon Elementary, Fred Assam Elementary and Valley Springs Elementary.

The group of dairy and hog farmers hope to educate students on how they care for their livestock and help them understand how South Dakota's number one industry affects nutrition and food supply, as well as agriculture's economic, social, and environmental significance to all Americans.

The schedule for the classroom visits is as follows:

Brandon Elementary - Thursday, March 13th at 1:00pm and 1:45pm

Fred Assam Elementary - Monday, March 17th at 2:00pm

Valley Springs Elementary - Tuesday, March 18th at 2:00pm

"The impact on South Dakota's economy alone from agriculture is over

$20 billion," Steve Rommereim, Ag United President and Alcester farmer, said.  "And on a national scale, agriculture is America's number one export.  But it's still easy to take agriculture for granted.  We want to instill an appreciation for agriculture in our local youth, advance an awareness of South Dakota's contribution and promote agricultural literacy."

Ag United will do more than talk; they're providing a pizza party too.

During the visit, producers will help the students understand that the ingredients in the pizza are produced by farms, and also explain how those products are then processed and made into the pizzas that the students are enjoying.

In addition to the visits in Brandon, Ag United, along with its coalition members, Associated Milk Producers, Valley Queen Cheese, and Land O'Lakes will sponsor Ag Day pizza party events for fourth and fifth graders at schools in Milbank, Sioux Falls, Yankton, Mitchell, Harrisburg and Watertown.

An information booth on Ag United and Ag Day will be on display at the Washington Pavilion Saturday, March 22, 2014.