Agriculture needs you. Maybe I should give you a little more background. There are people and groups who attack agriculture, and we need you to be an advocate to help our consumers better understand what we do. 

I admit it is scary when you start looking into who we are up against. The money seems limitless; we will never outspend our opponents to get our message out. The people funding the assaults against agriculture are billionaires. We are also up against activist celebrities, and we will never be able to match their glitz and glamour. That is the bad news. 

I know, why start off with doom and gloom? Well, here is the good news, the consumer still respects farmers and ranchers. They trust us, and that is something no amount of money and fame can buy. The trick is figuring out just how to use the trust the public has in us to our advantage. 

That is where you come in. We all need to do our own part in being the face of agriculture. We need to tell our story and let everyone know why we do what we do. But use some caution when doing this. I know we all see people who use confrontation to their advantage, but that is not helpful when it comes to reassuring people about how their food is raised or grown. 

Be open and honest when you talk about the care and responsibility you use. Explain the steps we go through to safeguard our food. Talk about withdrawal periods for vaccinations and the safe use of pesticides. Be sure to talk about the practices you are implementing on your farm or ranch that protect the air, water and soil for the next generation. Share your plan with them and the lengths you go to ensure food safety and to protect our natural resources. 

My point is that we are all doing incredible things to produce more food while making our world better. We are all trying to get better each day in the way that we produce food and we need to make sure our consumers know this. Surveys continually show farmers and ranchers are among the most trusted professions, and we need to use this to dispel misinformation from activists. 

This effort will take each and every one of us and that is why organizations like Kansas Farm Bureau are so important. KFB can provide training to tell your story, but it also provides the avenues and the opportunities to let our consumers know that their food is safe and our natural resources are cared for. 

The only thing left is for you to answer the call when the opportunity arises. I know we are all busy and the last thing we need is something else on our plate, but this is an important part of what we need to do. 

Yes, I agree it is very daunting knowing that the other side has money and celebrities, but we have something they will never have and that is trust. We are used to facing long odds and rolling our sleeves up and getting to work. This is no different.