I’ve been called a lot of things in my life… several of which I will not publish here (keeping it G-rated, y’all). One thing I’d never particularly thought to be called is an advocate.  It takes a lot of bravery, to publicly speak and write in support of a cause.

For the last 20 years, I have worked in the agriculture sector and my extended family has engaged in agricultural production.  I interact daily with people who have considerable knowledge of production agriculture and being good stewards of the land.

Academia and industry are insular, working shoulder-to-shoulder with others who understand the importance of and unique challenges in agriculture.  I’ve come to realize misconceptions and misinformation abound and there is a real need to discuss and inform others about how food is produced, the importance of agriculture, and innovation necessary to feed an expanding population. There is an obvious need for agvocacy, which is promoting and educating the public about agriculture through social media in a respectful and meaningful way.

It starts with the first blog post.  Like a seed, this blog has been quiescent, just waiting to break the surface and grow.  I am ready to cultivate it.  Ready to share my knowledge to help growers of food to be more productive.  Ready to share my knowledge to help the non-farming population understand what we do.  As I remain committed to continuing to learn about agriculture, learn along with me.

So, of all the things I’ve been called before… mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, gardener, farmer, tree-hugger, dirt-lover… I’m now proudly adding agvocate to the list.

#agvocate #agvocacy