The Five Dimensions of Ag

The Five Dimensions of Ag

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

Kohl: “Agricultural producers think in, ‘Wow we are producing food.’ But actually ag is five-dimensional.”
That is Dr. Dave Kohl, globe-trotting ag econ emeritus professor from Virginia Tech, he continues with a definition of ag’s five dimensions.

Kohl: “Food, fiber, fuel, products for the life sciences and products for the life experiences. And of course the last two may raise a few eyebrows, but we are using more and more of our ag products in the science world whether it be joint replacements, tissue replacements. But also if you ever look at your dash board, often times it is made up of soybeans. We are talking about ag experiences. Think about this 85 percent of the of all Americans are now two generations away from the farm. So it is creating opportunity. We are seeing more agtourism type operations.

Dr. Kohl shares the example of his creamery’s annual open house that he and his business partners hold for their customers.
Kohl: “We had 18 educational events. What we were trying to do was give the folks an experience and hit every single one of their senses: smell, feel touch ect. It was a very, very enjoyable experience.”

He says when considering new business ventures to examine each the five dimensions and see if one of them might be a fit for your ag operation.
Kohl: “Some of you may be able to capitalize on one or two of the dimensions and some of you may incorporate all five of the dimensions in your business model.”