Farming… it’s a tough job, but it does come with some perks. This is one of them.
We know you work long days and sometimes long nights, if that is what it takes, to get the job done. But somewhere in between waking up with the sun and working until the sun sets, take some time to enjoy the view. Very few people can say thier office has a view like this. As farmers you get to witness the splendor of nature in it’s finest form. And not only do you witness it, you play a vital part in what keeps this world turning.
Here at Fastline, we just want you to know we appreciate all the hard work that everyone involved with ag puts in each day. Your hard work means we all have food, fiber and fuel. Because you do what you do, we can do what we do. And for that, we thank you.
We know you are going to keep working hard, and so are we. Just don’t forget to take some time out during of all that hard work and enjoy the view.
AGCO’s Fendt 828 Vario Tractor Sets Record for Fuel Efficiency:
AGCO, Your Agriculture Company (NYSE:AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment, announced today that its Fendt 828 Vario tractor set a record for fuel efficiency in independent tests… Read More
Record Farm Income and Impending Dealership Failure:
When the final count for 2010 is complete, the amount of harvested corn could be an all time record; and at a minimum, the recent harvest should rank in the top five years of harvested corn with the other top five years coming from the preceding four years… Read More
See Your Entire Farm Right from the Office:
John Deere’s new Farm Sight product lets you manage you equipment fleet and upload real-time production data direct from the field… Watch the Video Here
Fastline is Interviewed About Being an Ag Day Sponsor:
One of the sponsors of Ag Day is Fastline, represented at National Ag Day activities by Matt Coniglio, pictured here with some of the attendees at Tuesday’s banquet… Read More and the interview here
Check out these great essays from the Ag Day Essay Contest. For more information, check out this page. Fastline was a proud sponsor of the 2011 Ag Day.
Their faces peer out at me from the glossy cover of a magazine, the bold headline touting them as “America’s Most Valuable People”. Among their ranks are political pundits, ingenious inventors, humble humanitarians, and a host of other charismatic characters. Their varied accomplishments reflect a time-tested tradition of hard work and good ol’ American ingenuity, but their lofty title as our country’s “most valuable” citizens makes me wonder. Would Americans perish from “technological withdrawal” if Steve Jobs discontinued the iPad? No. Would a national crisis ensue if Lady GaGa retired from performing? I don’t think so. If Mark Zuckerberg terminated Facebook, would the world as we know it cease to exist? I think not.
Then it occurs to me: America’s “Most Valuable People” aren’t found on magazine covers. Rather, they are found in farm fields, feed stores, and livestock barns. They are American farmers, a group whose labors, although largely unrecognized, are vital to the lives of all U.S. citizens – or at least the ones that eat.
In this modern age of supermarkets and 24-hour fast food restaurants, it has become increasingly hard for the American public to fathom where their food comes from. Long gone are the days when a chicken dinner meant selecting a bird from the henhouse. Today’s consumer, faced with an endless array of choices, selects their poultry with little knowledge of its origin, unaware of the work that went into producing and dispatching the bird. They fail to realize the vital connection between farm and food, between production and consumption. Little do they realize that without our nation’s strong agricultural infrastructure of farmers, their grocery store shelves would be bare.
As America’s population continues to grow, a farmer’s job is to keep up with the escalating demand for food. They will have to play multiple roles in their quest to provide nutritious, affordable products for more than 300 million Americans. Farmers will become inventors, developing devices that will improve crop yields and abolish dated farming practices. They will become delegates for agriculture, lobbying for the advancement of farming in their legislatures. Most importantly, farmers will become naturalists, determining the best solutions for responsible soil, water, and resource management.
Although it’s unlikely that a soybean farmer from Kansas will ever steal Kim Kardashian’s VIP publicity, their true importance to their fellow citizens cannot be denied. American farmers’ dedication to maintaining an unrivaled level of food security makes them our nation’s “Most Valuable People”, even if they drive a Case instead of a Cadillac.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Monday its Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS2) requirements for 2011. The final requirements fall in line with the agency’s proposed rule from earlier in the year.
The total RFS2 requirement for 2011 will remain at 13.95 billion gallons. Of this amount, 12.6 billion gallons will be starch-based ethanol. The remaining 1.35 billion gallons will be a combination of biodiesel and other advanced biofuels, including a 6.6 million gallon requirement specifically for cellulosic biofuels which is lower than original targets established when the RFS2 became law.
