Visions of hippies running around college campuses, claims of processors dumping poisons into the water supply and zealots condemning CAFOs come to mind when environmentalists are even mentioned in agricultural circles. Earth Day? Isn’t that a time for the “greens” to band together?

Maybe it is. Or maybe Earth Day is a reason why the players across all segments of the food chain should speak out! In its 35th year, Earth Day is “a worldwide movement to protect our planet, our children, and our future.” I suggest you share are a few of these facts about the progress of today’s agriculture in each of the areas highlighted by Earth Day.

Protect Our Planet

• Modern farming techniques have led to a significant decrease in soil erosion. Low-till farming reduced soil erosion by 65% and no-till farming cut erosion by as much as 98%.

• Free range animals may be more aesthetically appealing to the general public, but reality is that today’s modern animal operations protect the environment. For example, the hog population is expected to grow from one billion to 3 billion in the next 20-30 years. Raising these extra 2 billion sows outdoors would require 800,000 square miles (about half the land area of the Amazon rainforest). Similarly, putting each of the 6 billion chickens in the U.S.on free range would require 4,300 square miles or a land area equal to New Jersey.

Protect Our Children

• Food availability increased 24% on a worldwide basis from 1961-1998. The greatest increase was in developing countries, having 38% more food available. Malnourished children were largely the beneficiaries! What role does your business play in getting protein to people who need it? Tell somebody about it!

• If the world’s farmers utilized the best and most advanced farming technologies, it is estimated they would produce enough food to feed an American diet to a world population of over 35 billion.

Protect Our Future

• Try this question on for size… “What kind of future would you have without food?”

• High-yield agriculture provides for a burgeoning population; food production will likely need to be tripled again in the next 40-50 years. How will this be achieved without modern practices that result in more food production, more efficient processing and better distribution?

If you’re tired of the myths about how agriculture hurts the environment, then fight back with facts that will open eyes. “A Field Manual for the Green War” by Pat & Colleen Tigges provided many of these statistics – see the ag advocacy page on my website for more arsenal. And by the way – I’ll let you in on a little secret – consumers won’t know this kind of information unless YOU tell them.

Every day is Earth Day in agriculture and we need to start sharing that message! If you’re being a good environmental citizen (and if you’re not, you are jeopardizing our industry), let people know why it’s important to you. Imagine this; every segment of the food chain tells consumers how we celebrate Earth Day every day. Are they as likely to believe the junk science if they’ve been given facts to the contrary?

As you move into summer, I challenge you to communicate the non-agricultural public about our industry’s role in the environment! Tell them how your agribusiness IS making the earth a better place.

Michele Payn-Knoper founded Cause Matters to make a connection between the farm gate and consumer plate. E-mail newsletter@mpk.info newsletter@mpk.info to receive her free monthly "MPK Connections" e-newsletter for tools on speaking out for agriculture, selling solutions, and grassroots marketing. See www.mpk.info or call 765.427.4426 for more information.