1/7/09 National Ag Essay

National Ag Essay. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Do your kids know what agriculture is? Or do they think eggs come from the back room at the supermarket? I grew up in a rural community. I was not a farm kid but most of my friends were and I spent many hours helping them with chores like milking cows. The 2009 National Ag Day Essay Contest deadline is coming up and it's a chance for parents, teachers and students to bring a little more awareness to agriculture. TANK: The essay contest specifically is just a great opportunity for youth and we know that youth are our future. For youth to share their thoughts and opinions and ideas about agriculture, this year's theme is pretty open-ended so I'm really curious to see what kind of responses we get. That is Linda Tank, VP of Communications with CHS, Inc., one of the essays sponsors. Students in grades 7-12 can submit essays with no more than 450 words. TANK: I think the theme is pretty broad, "Agriculture  Every Day in Every Way" and so for the students writing the essays it just gives them a lot to contemplate and think about and so out of that I'm sure we'll just see a whole range of opinions, thoughts and ideas about agriculture and its importance today to our country and also its importance in the future and their role in it. The judging is done independently and the deadline for entries is February 9th. TANK: They will get a scholarship award of $1000 dollars and then they will have an opportunity to attend the National Ag Day event which will be held in Washington DC and they will have an opportunity read their essay in front of a large audience of all kinds of folks involved in agriculture. Last year for example the Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary Schafer was in attendance and the young woman who won from Pennsylvania was there with her family; her mom and her dad and her brother. We as reporters spend most of our days writing and reporting on agriculture from various standpoints but it is most often the fresh approach of youth that can really get a strong point across. TANK: Most likely they are going to be students who are part of some kind of farming or ranching operation. (It) wouldn't have to be. I could be a suburban or urban student who happens to be a member of 4-H or FFA chapter who has an interest in agriculture and understands the importance and significance of agriculture in their daily life. Applications and contest rules are available online at www.hpj.com/agdayessay That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.