WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday was National Ag Day and here in Washington, there was a long list of events, organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), in celebration of American farmers, ranchers, and producers who provide our food, fiber, and fuel.
USA Rice set up shop in the Voice of the Farmer Garden, just outside the U.S. Department of Agriculture's headquarters on the National Mall. A collection of other commodity groups representing corn, soybeans, and sugar beets, were on hand for the garden’s spring planting ceremony and to talk about U.S. agriculture with folks strolling through the nation’s capital on a picture-perfect day.
“We had great conversations with everyone who stopped by our booth,” said Morgan Crafton, USA Rice coordinator for domestic promotion, who spent the afternoon promoting U.S. rice. “The first thing most people say is, ‘I love rice,’ and then we give them even more reasons to love rice, especially U.S.-grown. They come for the stickers and branded rice paddles but they leave with the message to buy ‘local’ from family farms that produce the most sustainably grown rice in the market.”
This year’s Ag Day theme was “Together We Grow,” and speakers at the garden party, including USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Aubrey Bettencourt, PepsiCo CCO Steven Williams, and Farm Journal Foundation CEO Tricia Beal, reiterated the collaborative role agriculture plays in in maintaining a strong economy and providing safe, abundant, and affordable products.
“The major challenges faced by the ag community in today’s economy are a shared concern,” said USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann. “Ag Day is designed to highlight the way agriculture touches us all and our participation here gives USA Rice a chance to remind people of their vital investment in the survival of American farmers.”
Prior to the Voice of the Farmer Garden event, USA Rice participated in a session to recognize the breadth of the Cabinet’s support for agriculture in the USDA Whitten Building with remarks by Secretary Rollins, Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Zeldin, Small Business Administration Administrator Loeffler, Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Hoeven (R-ND), and Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall.