Did you know it's National Ag Week?

Today ends national Agriculture Week. For a large part of Washington state, that means a great deal.

In Washington state, agriculture generates more than $20 billion in revenue for the state annually and employed an estimated 200,000 people in 2020. We lead the nation in the production of apples, blueberries, sweet cherries, hops, pears, and spearmint oil. Washington’s producers are second in the nation in the production of apricots, asparagus, grapes, potatoes, and raspberries. We are also the second-largest wine producing state in the U.S. and only trail Alaska in shipments of fish and shellfish.

In 1973, March 22 was designated National Ag Day by the Agriculture Council of America and the inaugural celebration of the day was in 1979. Since the inception of National Ag Day, it has been expanded to encompass the week in which March 22 falls each year.

After the most recent legislative session in Washington state, I have to wonder how much headway the goal of National Ag Week – creating awareness about the role of agriculture in modern society – is really making. Some farmers and ranchers aren’t even aware of the designation of this week as an opportunity to actively reach out to consumers, lawmakers, and influencers about how agriculture is still relevant in today’s world.

Agriculture is a vital part of our economy, an integral part of our environmental stewardship, and critical to our survival as people.

In recent years, farmers and ranchers have become more vocal about their environmental efforts. Regenerative agriculture has seen a resurgence in nationally and Washington’s producers, like Austin Allred of Royal Dairy, are integrating the approaches into their farms.

Farmers and ranchers feed and clothe us. Every time we pick up a steak, some asparagus, and a few peaches to throw on the grill or pull on our favorite pair of jeans, farmers and ranchers are the people who were first in that process. No matter what your dietary choices are – vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free, gluten-free, keto, regular old balanced three-squares a day with some snacks thrown in for good measure – farmers and/or ranchers had a hand in the foods on your plates. And, if you’re into conscious clothing, it doesn’t get more natural than wool, leather, cotton, and hemp – all brought to market courtesy of farmers and ranchers.

But, in the muddied mess of activism and agricultural politics, is National Ag Week making a difference? About 1 percent of the total population of the United States is actively engaged in agriculture.

The farmers and ranchers of Washington state are important to the health of our economy, environment, and population. However, so are the consumers of our state. Agriculture is a transactional business that requires both production and consumption for its continued existence. So, as National Ag Week ends, while it is vital to recognize the key contributions our agricultural community makes to this state, let us also remember that without consumers, there would be no farms or ranches.

When 99 percent of the population is not involved in farming and ranching, their concerns, desires, and questions about how farmers and ranchers operate their businesses and answer consumer needs should be addressed and communicated. If the 1 percent of farmers and ranchers believe are doing all the things asked of us–good environmental stewardship, innovative growing techniques, proper animal care – then it is time to have more in-depth, meaningful, proactive conversations that include consumers as peers.

Consumers should, and can be, the ultimate allies of farmers and ranchers in the fight against bad public policy that seeks to further marginalize food producers. But only if farmers and ranchers are willing to honor consumers as equals in the food production process.

-Lewison is the Initiative on Agriculture Director with the Washington Policy Center