It's a great time to be a food producer in Michigan

On a sunny weekend last month in Grand Rapids, more than 300 young farmers from across the state, myself included, spent the weekend at Michigan Farm Bureau’s annual Young Farmer Leaders’ Conference, picking up leadership skills, learning about conservation practices, hearing agricultural success stories, and networking with other farm leaders. We took this time seeking improvement in the career we truly love: agriculture. While most of us spent the past year enduring low commodity prices, marketing challenges and poor weather conditions, we came away from the conference with a renewed sense of optimism about our industry. Year in and year out, the certainty of good prices is elusive at best, but for Michigan’s young farmers, our love of producing food, the farming lifestyle and the satisfaction of feeding the nation remains strong.

Today is National Agriculture Day—a good time to recognize that American farmers provide the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. In 1940, the average American farm provided enough food to feed 19 consumers; today it’s closer to 150. American consumers spend less than 10 percent of their income on food, compared to France’s 18 percent, 22 percent in the United Kingdom, and 51 percent in India. We enjoy more consumer choice and value in our food products than anywhere else on earth—truly something to celebrate!

In Michigan, agriculture is economic stimulus. A 2009 study by Michigan State University found that agriculture accounted for $71.3 billion in annual economic activity, making it Michigan’s second largest industry. From dairy to cherries, livestock to row crops, hanging baskets to shrimp and trout, conventional and niche farmers here produce upwards of 200 different commodities, making Michigan agriculture the second-most diverse in the nation after California. With plentiful water, temperate climate, diverse soils and adequate infrastructure, the possibilities for agricultural success in Michigan are endless.

It’s an exciting time to be producing food in Michigan, with the ongoing revolution of consumer interest in who grows their food, where it comes from, and how it’s produced. Sparked by “foodies” and “locavores,” this renewed interest in agriculture is good news for those of us who grow food. We take pride in our commodities and love to see our crops utilized by those who appreciate food like we do. While the local movement gains traction, we also must remember the global economy and the need for farmers to produce enough food for those who live in areas where farming isn’t possible.

The Earth’s population is growing at an exponential rate. It took approximately 1,825 years for the world’s population to reach 1 billion. At the current rate, in 40 years there will be nine billion people on earth. Furthermore, approximately 1.2 million acres of farmland in the United States are lost annually due to development and urban sprawl. Increasing population and decreasing acreage has serious societal implications; we have less land to feed more people.

To feed this hungry population, farmers around the world have to produce more food in the next 50 years than all the food that has been produced in the history of the world. Modern agriculture is up to that challenge. With advances in technology, cultural practices and productivity, today’s farm families are helping ensure that Americans and consumers around the world have the nutrition, diversity and value in their food that they have come to expect.

The young farmers who gathered together last month understand agriculture is a challenging career that carries great responsibilities to provide safe, abundant food while being conscientious stewards of the land. On this National Agriculture Day, I would encourage everyone to remember and appreciate all those who labor so that we can have full stomachs.

Cherries and social media

Hello to my loyal follower (plural to come later...)

The link below will take you to our local CBS affiliate. Cherry farmers and social media was the topic of the story, and your's truly was featured (although they did not tag my name anywhere). Check it out!! Sorry I could not embed it this time.

http://www.9and10news.com/category/story?id=200157

Sanjay Gupta Video

Check out this video from Dr. Sanjay Gupta. He interviews a dietician who rates tart cherries as the #1 food for fighting inflammation naturally! All we have to do is get everyone to drink 1 ounce of tart cherry concentrate daily to maintain those natural anti-inflammatory benefits.

Live healthy!!

Social Media-- First try

Hello cyber-world. I am what you might call a "late adopter." I felt proud for many years to resist the temptation of "social media." I scoffed at those who spent hours on Facebook, Twitter, and other unproductive activities. I hid behind sarcasm, but deep down, I wondered about all these unknown sites. I surfed around my wife's Facebook page, living vicariously through her "friends," all the while wondering how I could transition from naysayer to user without losing my dignity. Luckily, our industry's "Cherry Marketing Institute" put on a workshop to show us cherry growers how to utilize social media for our personal and professional benefit.

So, I dove in headfirst. I've created a Twitter page, and you can follow me @BenLaCross. I will tweet when I update this blog, or you can simply check back here. What's in it for you, you ask?

Well, hopefully, this will evolve into a fun blog where you can learn about what's going on on our family cherry farm. I will soon post details of our farm, so you can get some background on who we are and what we do. I will also post about the health benefits of cherries, politics of farming, and maybe give my take on some current events and what's going on in the world of sports.

So, check my links, follow me on Twitter, and check back soon!!