NW Celebrates National Ag Week

NW Celebrates National Ag Week

NW Celebrates National Ag Week. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. American agriculture is abundant, affordable, and amazing. That's the theme for this year's National Agriculture Week which is also being celebrated in the Pacific Northwest. National Agriculture Week is March 14-20. You will get no argument from Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba about the importance of agriculture to the state's economy and way of life. COBA: We have an incredible agriculture industry. We support over 38,000 family farms and ranches. We are family agriculture in this state and we produce incredible food that is abundant, that is affordable, that is amazing. National Agriculture Week salutes the more than two million operators in the US who bring food and fiber to all of us. This year, there's a special emphasis on getting the attention of consumers who think they have no connection to agriculture. COBA: When they eat food breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they are eating agriculture. When they play on their lawn, they are enjoying Oregon agriculture. When they have a Christmas tree or beautiful shrubs in their backyard, it's probably Oregon agriculture. So I think consumers interact with it a lot more than they give themselves credit for. Coba advises Oregonians to buy local whenever possible and thank a farmer when they see one- not only during the special week but 365 days a year. Coba says Oregonians can observe National Agriculture Week this year by supporting local producers in various ways. COBA: The most important thing consumers can do is buy local and thank a farmer if they see one. Go to a farmers' market, frequent restaurants that use local product, frequent grocery stores that use local product or sell local product. Coba says farmers and ranchers have a role to play during National Agriculture Week and beyond. She says there's an audience of consumers who are hungry to hear their stories. COBA: When we can get a farmer or rancher talking about what they are doing, people love that. It's just getting them to take that step. They are doing it more and more, and talking about how they take care of their land, how they take care of water, and what they do when they grow food. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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