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Hi, I'm Amanda! My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm also a practicing attorney.

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Forbes: Agriculture is A Big Deal, Assaults Need to Stop

December 18, 2013

Had to share this excellent Op-Ed piece of Steve Forbes, President of Forbes Media (as it appeared in the Houston Chronicle):

American agriculture is a big deal. It is science-driven, profitable, more environmentally attuned than ever and in a real sense, feeding the world.

Yet unlike other key drivers of the economy in the U.S. or Texas, outside of this industry, no one appears to notice it – which is unfortunate because this vital piece of the economy is under assault in a way that will harm the ability of the world to feed itself.

The business of farming has undergone a total transformation over the past quarter-century – so much so, we now refer to it as “agribusiness.” The advent of everything from GPS receivers in farm equipment to track planting, fertilizing and harvesting; to microanalysis of cropland to closely calibrate seed types to soil conditions; to using the Internet to get the best prices for input purchases to when to sell crops and livestock, has created a system where in 2012, 2.2 million farms in the U.S. (roughly 250,000 in Texas) had cash receipts totaling $390 billion for both crops and livestock.

Of our exports, agriculture is one of the largest segments: according to a paper by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress, in 2012 it made up fully 10 percent of all exports in 2012. In fiscal year 2013, agricultural exports ran a trade surplus of $38.5 billion. And a U.S. Department of Agriculture model shows each $1 billion of agricultural exports supports about 6,800 jobs.

A critical piece of the agricultural export puzzle is domestic infrastructure. The perishable nature of most agricultural products means a slight delay at a rail yard or truck terminal can yield a ruined shipment.

Plans to build new, major shipping terminals in the Pacific Northwest that would boost our ability to increase exports are under government scrutiny, not because anyone is opposed to providing new facilities for shipping agricultural goods to Pacific Rim nations, especially China, but because they will also move domestic coal to fuel Chinese power plants.

Environmentalists who oppose carbon-based energy, led by organizations like the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council, are fighting to a stalemate against unions, regional shippers and the broader business community. Agriculture and all other exporting industries are collateral damage.

But American farming’s prodigious output is possible because American biotechnology leads the world. The green revolution will rival and surpass the industrial revolution for its effect on the everyday quality of life of billions of people who live at or below subsistence levels.

In addition, biotechnology married to agriculture means we use less fertilizer and make fewer passes over fields with heavy equipment, and better soil conservation while producing bigger yields.

Yet American agriculture has become a magnet for negative attention from the professional, activist left. As a nation, if we are not careful, this underappreciated economic gem will cede its future to antibusiness activists who use a variety of political and regulatory ploys to substitute scare tactics for science in our food systems.

Over the past two decades, European activists have exported their Luddite views and implemented bans preventing the planting of bioengineered crops in all but four African nations: Sudan, Egypt, Burkina Faso and South Africa.

We are not immune to bad ideas. Dozens of states have considered affirmative labeling mandates in spite of a clear U.S. Food and Drug Administration standard for safety of all food products and a marketplace rich in information about our food including an Organic Standard.

America’s farmers are the linchpin meeting the increasing food demands of a rapidly growing middle class around the world. As population soars toward 9 billion people, we must understand what drives economic growth and where discovery is happening.

Agriculture is where an ecosystem of farmers and scientists provides the highest-quality products to Americans’ tables, employs millions of workers and is saving lives around the globe. It is time to take note.

(Source: AgriMarketing and USFRA)

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: celebrities, FDA, GMO, promoting ag, science, technology, truth

Hi, I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney and I'm passionate about agriculture!

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thefarmersdaughterusa

I'm Amanda. My family farms corn and soybeans in Southwest Michigan. I'm an attorney by day, and "agvocate" at night.

Amanda Zaluckyj
Things I didn't miss while on vacation: โŒ watch Things I didn't miss while on vacation:

โŒ watching the news
โŒ hours scrolling on my phone
โŒ stress about creating new content
โŒ hours in front of the tv
โŒ worry about billable hours
โŒ always being connected
โŒ my to-do list

Isn't it funny how a good vacation can change your perspective? Hoping to keep a few of these things with me until my next adventure.
Whoops! Looks like I missed #NationalAgricultureDa Whoops! Looks like I missed #NationalAgricultureDay.

We're on a family vacation in Florida this week. We hit SeaWorld, Universal Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Animal Kingdom. My highlight was spending some much-needed time with my favorite people. Headed home to Michigan soon. We're all hoping to bring back some warmer temperatures! ๐Ÿคž

 I hope you're having a good week! ๐Ÿ’œ
I bet I'm not the only one with extra coffee on th I bet I'm not the only one with extra coffee on this Monday morning. Just remember: farmers don't like Daylight Savings Time either! ๐Ÿ˜‰

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture
Do you know why farmers choose to grow bioengineer Do you know why farmers choose to grow bioengineered crops?

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture #be #bioengineered
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"When they pave all the dirt roads and John Deeres are dinosaurs

When the last back forty gets sold and young boys don't open doors

When you can't hunt a white tail and keep what you reel in

Well, I hope I'm in Heaven by then

Oh, I don't wanna go today, but I don't wanna live

Down here at a place that thinks that that place don't exist

If there comes a day this country's somewhere country don't fit in

Hell, I hope I'm in Heaven by then."

"Heaven By Then," Brantley Gilbert & Blake Shelton

#countrymusic #country #heavenbythen #faith #rurallife #countrylife #farmlife #myhome myhome
Sunday morning snuggles. ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ #Mischa #doggie Sunday morning snuggles. ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ

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U.S. farmers are constantly improving their craft U.S. farmers are constantly improving their craft and becoming better at their jobs. These types of statistics prove it.

#usagriculture #agriculture #soybeans #soy #soyproduction #soilhealth #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainablefarms #sustainablefarming #healthysoils
Did you know this about the organic label? If yo Did you know this about the organic label? 

If you want to buy certified organic products, that's totally your choice! But you should also know what you're buying and what it actually means. Often that reality is different than organic marketing.

#agriculture #usagriculture #farmers #usfarmers #farming #farmfamilies #sustainableag #sustainableagriculture #sustainable #sustainability #farmerscare #homegrown #localagriculture #knowyourfarmer #shoplocal #madeintheusa #madeintheus #americanagriculture #organic #organicfood #organiclabel
Now that's efficiency! #dairy #dairygood #milk # Now that's efficiency! 

#dairy #dairygood #milk #farms #sustainableag #agriculture #food #milkglass #dairycows #dairyfarm #dairyfarming #dairyindustry #drinkmilk #chocolatemilk #farmfact #farmsfacts
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