Become an Ag Day sponsor, and put your organization in front of key industry and government decision makers. Grassroots events are held across the country, with National Ag Day culminating in our nation’s capital on March 20, 2018.

Learn more about how your company can sponsor and gain exposure from Ag Day events, including Ag Day Contests, National Press Club Event, Taste of Ag Celebration and much more! Unique opportunities available for Commodity Organizations!

Go online to find out more about Ag Day Sponsorship.

To secure your position, visit agday.org or call ACA at (913) 491-1895. For questions, contact Jenny Pickett at [email protected].

Join us at the Taste of Ag Reception

Sample food from all the different sectors of ag and network with your peers and colleagues.

Tuesday, March 20
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Montpelier Room at the Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building
Independence Avenue, between 1st and 2nd Streets
Washington, DC 20540

Deadline is February 2, 2018.

To recognize the contributions of the hundreds of volunteers and leaders in the agriculture, food and fiber communities who are dedicated to increasing public awareness of agriculture’s vital role in our society, the Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award will be presented to an outstanding individual who has contributed as an advocate for communications between farm and city.

•   The nominee can be any person over 21 years of age.

•   The person may be nominated by anyone active in agriculture.

•   The completed application should be submitted online at www.agday.org by February 2, 2018.

•   A three-member committee, including at least one member of the ACA Board of Directors will judge the applications and select the recipient.

•   The award will be presented at the National Press Club on March 20, 2018.

•   The winner will be reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses to attend the annual Ag Day event.

Background:
The Charles Eastin Outstanding Service Award is named in honor of Charles “Charlie” Eastin, DVM, who passed away at the age of 86 on January 28, 2011.

Dr. Eastin played an important role as a board member of the National Farm-City Council for many years. He served as the 35th Chairman of the NFCC from 1992-1994 and through the years, has chaired and served on many committees. Through his efforts, Lexington, Kentucky hosted a NFCC National Conference in the early 1990’s. As chairman of the Rural Urban Committee, he worked to build and maintain collaboration between the Lexington Rotary Club and University of Kentucky to host activities to further National Farm-City Council goals during Farm-City Week every year.

Click here to view the guidelines and to fill out the application.

The 2018 National Ag Day Essay Contest deadline is January 31. This year’s theme is “How Will Agriculture Feed the World?” The contest is divided into two categories: the written essay contest and the video essay contest. Both are national competitions and there will be one winner for each category.

The national written essay winner receives a $1,000 prize and round-trip ticket to Washington, D.C. to be recognized at the National Press Club Event on March 20, 2018. The video essay winner wins a $1,000 prize.

The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., Farm Progress & the National Association of Farm Broadcasting.

Click here for more information on the contest.

About National Ag Day:

March 20, 2018 is the 45th anniversary of National Ag Day. The goal of the ACA is to provide a spotlight on agriculture and the food and fiber industry. The ACA not only helps consumers understand how food and fiber products are produced, but also brings people together to celebrate accomplishments in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

The ACA encourages everyone to get involved in National Ag Day. If you can’t make it to Washington D.C. to participate at the national level, there are many ways you can get involved with National Ag Day in your local communities. Visit the website to learn how you can get involved today.

Sponsorship:

National Ag Day would not be possible without the help of our sponsors. Thank you to all our 2017 sponsors! There are still sponsorship opportunities available, if you would like to get involved please contact Jenny Pickett, (913) 491-6500.

March 20, 2018 is the 45th anniversary of National Ag Day. The goal of the ACA is to provide a spotlight on agriculture and the food and fiber industry. The ACA not only helps consumers understand how food and fiber products are produced, but also brings people together to celebrate accomplishments in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

The ACA encourages everyone to get involved in National Ag Day. If you can’t make it to Washington D.C. to participate at the national level, there are many ways you can get involved with National Ag Day in your local communities. Visit the website to learn how you can get involved today.

Sponsorship:

National Ag Day would not be possible without the help of our sponsors. Thank you to all our 2017 sponsors! There are still sponsorship opportunities available, if you would like to get involved please contact Jenny Pickett, (913) 491-6500.

Annual event in Washington D.C. celebrates accomplishments of today’s farmers and ranchers and the vital role agriculture plays in our society.

Hundreds of agribusiness professionals, media, association and government officials came together at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2017, as part of agriculture’s annual National Ag Day celebration.
​
The morning event was organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), American Agricultural Editors’ Association (AAEA) and National Association of Farm Broadcasting (NAFB) and commenced with a panel on SMART Farming: Producing Sustainable, Nutritious Food for Life.
​
Moderated by Greg Horstmeier, DTN, Editor-in-Chief, panelists addressed how today’s farmers and ranchers use the latest technology and methods to grow and raise more sustainable food with less impact on our environment. On the panel, speakers included Chip Bowling, Maryland crop farmer and USFRA Vice Chairman, Beverly Flores, John Deere Media and Communications Manager, Lauren Schwab, Ohio pig farmer and USFRA Face of Farming & Ranching and Andrew Walmsley, American Farm Bureau Federation, Director, Congressional Relations.
​
Key highlights on the panel showcasing SMART Farming included:
​
• “On our farm, we utilize conservation tillage for soil health. We want the soil and nutrients to stay in the fields and not our waterways” – Chip Bowling
• “Agriculture is built on technology & innovation, it shapes what we do. Let’s reassure others about farming today” – Beverly Flores
• “We continually improve how we house our pigs. We’ve adapted to where we can give individualized care to each sow” – Lauren Schwab
• “Engage with others and put rumors to rest. People just want to know their food is safe to feed their families” – Andrew Walmsley

Additionally, Ray Starling, Special Assistant to the President for Agriculture, Trade, and Food Assistance contributed to the event by offering remarks around the new administration as well as how we as an industry need to ‘Brag on Ag’. During the Press Club Event, Mr. Starling announced a Presidential Proclamation declaring March 21 as National Ag Day which received a resounding applause by attendees.
​
During his remarks, Ray Starling shared, “I see our priorities for agriculture falling into four different buckets, which include: promoting agricultural trade, providing farmers with access to a reliable, affordable workforce, halting the regulatory onslaught for farmers and ranchers, and improving infrastructure in rural America.” His hope for this administration is to “leave behind a mechanism where agriculture continually has a seat at the table.” And he emphatically stated, “American farmers & ranchers are the heart and soul of this country.”
​
The Press Club event also featured the presentation of the Ag Day Essay Contest scholarship. Annette Degnan from CHS presented Bridger Gordon from Whitewood, S.D., received a $1,000 prize for his winning essay. Click here to view the winning essay online.

The Charles Eastin Award was presented to Sue Tebow, creator of the Facebook page agri.CULTURE, which showcases the unique culture of the real people working in agriculture. The Eastin Award honors an outstanding individual who stands out as an advocate for accurate communications between rural and urban audiences.
​
The event also honored the four John Deere Outstanding Young Farmers for 2016. In attendance were Kevin and Jennifer Wolsky, Jennifer Niederer, Joseph and Ida DeFrancesco, Nathan Youngquist and Brooke Loisel. The Outstanding Young Farmer program began in the 1940s.
​
Click here to watch a recording of the entire Press Club Event.
​
In addition to bringing awareness of National Ag Day at the Press Club Event, USFRA CEO Randy Krotz placed an op-ed in The Hill for National Ag Day, titled Our Food System is Flourishing, Not Broken to celebrate the many accomplishments of today’s farmers and ranchers and help inform the general public about the vital role agriculture plays in our society.