| |
May 2009
Every Day is Earth Day
Dear Friends,
As we close on the month of April and turn the page to on the calendar to May, we seem to think more about the environment and the good old Earth that is our home. We've celebrated Earth Day. And we Nebraskans honored our early tree planting heritage by celebrating Arbor Day, the other great environmental holiday that was founded here by Nebraska City editor and statesman, J. Sterling Morton.
The media makes a big deal out of both holidays, with advertisements, news stories about environmental heroes and tragedies. Of course, drama sells, so the hype is over the top.
The message is commendable, and we hope that all of the attention has an effect on our citizens, calling on them to recycle, to plant trees and shrubs, to care for water quality, to care about fresh food, to care about soil erosion, and to come up with a little sustainability planning for our future on this planet.
These messages and their companion calls to action are all good. Yet, we wonder why these things aren’t mentioned nearly as much during other times of the year. As Mother Nature’s beauty springs forth during this season, as gardens are planted and lawns are mowed for the first time of the season, we naturally notice and appreciate our surroundings as we shake off the dull hue of winter.
Still, farmers think about the environment every day of every year. We live out in the environment. We dig our hands into the dark, moist earth. We rely on the signs and elements of our weather and our planet. We don’t experience the environment from a boardroom, a skyscraper, a taxi cab or on the Internet or TV. We try to make our livings from the earth, so it is imperative that we care for it as well.
Farmers have to care for their families and their world, and they have to do it pretty well. They want clean water and clean air, because we live here too, and more importantly, our children live here with us. No farmer would intentionally jeopardize any part of their children’s lives. We aren’t built in that way.
That’s why we rely on organizations like our local Natural Resource Districts and Resource Conservation and Development Councils, Cooperative Extension and USDA to help us out. These agencies and groups do more than their fair share, and we should feel like partners with them in an important mission.
Sure, there are bad actors in agriculture, just like in any other industry. But the media loves to call out the bad actors, and hold them up as the norm. It sells advertising, People like to believe the bad stuff. But looking around at my own friends and neighbors on the farm, I am proud to be among them. They are good, hard working folks who care deeply for their families, for their communities and for the world around them. If they are the actual norm, then our planet is in pretty good hands, because for family farmers, every day is Earth Day.
Be sure to get out and enjoy the Earth this week.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Website design by:
Kim Sawatzke
Professional Results,
Reasonable Prices!
